Negative Zero
by the.israel.project107
Summary: Prequel to The Unfamiliar. Axel is left to fend for himself, when a devastating effect of neutrality in wartime tears his sister and best friend from his life. The thirteen pre-Roxie years. One-sided AkuRoku, Cloud/Seph, RiSo, Yuffentine, Zemyx, etc
1. The Epilogue of One Story

**Disclaimer: **Seriously? I don't really need Square for the obvious benefits. If I owned that sucker, I'd be doing my damndest to see about getting these things published :(

A/N: Sooooo. Who's surprised? I know I was! It's Thursday, right? And I'm sitting here doing my thing, answering reviews and whatnot, and one comes through for TU from 'anonymouse' (whose email didn't work when I tried to send a foaming-at-mouth reply), who, along with asking about a sequel, utters the precious word, 'prequel'. And I stop. I freeze completely, and just stare at the screen for a moment. It never occurred to me, not once. And before I can fob it off as another 'maybe-but-no' like the sequel idea, it's taken root, and is burrowing little threads into my brain. Naturally, I go screaming for help to my dear and lovely friend **decorinne, **begging to be saved from myself. She tells me I've come to the wrong person, and promptly squees at how fucking cool it would be, while telling me I have, without a doubt, definitely lost my mind. (You can all thank her for the stove scene, too, btw – I swear to god, I was _joking, _and she encouraged me _then, too). _

So, as a result, HTPD's third is very, very late, in the not-begun-coz-I-was-writing-this sense, and we now have a third plot added to the mess. You should see the _notes _for this baby. I'm happy. Love you guys!

_Note: _Continuency cock-up numero uno - and I'm hoping to not make too many of these, but this one was sadly seeded in TU, silly girl that I am - Kairi is very firmly one year old in this chapter. Roxas is barely five - this makes him roughly three years older than her. In TU, she is now officially fifteen (thank Christ I never actually named her age). As for how she knows Sora well enough for him to take her out of the system along with Riku - you'll find out ;P So, uh, warning - underage drinking in future chapters, even by my Australian you-gotta-be-eighteen standards.

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THE EPILOGUE OF ONE STORY

_Ghosts were dancing, one with red hair, one with blond, in the blazing sunshine. Roxas stood on the sidelines and watched them, a woman in white beside him, hands folded neatly against her long skirt. The children laughed, floating in and out of existence, darting between the struts of the play equipment. Nothing was broken. No one was dead._

"_My ghost is here, too," the woman said, eyes scanning the area slowly. She paused, inclined her head towards the bench in the corner of the playground, to where two women sat. They chatted animatedly, one eye fixed perpetually upon their little phantoms. Roxas studied them for a moment, turned to glance at the woman by his side._

"…_You're the ghost." He flicked a look back at the women. "She's still alive."_

"_She's dead."_

_Roxas frowned, eyes finding the small ones again, their squeals and cries filling the air. "And those two?"_

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The playground was bright, filled with light, the sun burning up above, warming the earth. The little blond boy swished his arms chaotically through the air, running in a wide circle, mouth open in an endless, _"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" _Every now and then, he'd pause to inhale, then continue the droning noise, made simply because he could. His eyes flicked around with disinterest at his surroundings, little beads of sweat rolling down his squat nose. Nearby, a skinny, taller red-haired boy, wild spikes caught back in a severe ponytail, several stabs of scarlet escaping at his neck and around his face, was hauling his way up the multi-coloured jungle-gym. His face was screwed in determination, green t-shirt sticking to his wiry body, slender muscles working as he traversed the most difficult part of the structure. His breaths came in sharp, short puffs, between mostly-adult teeth. He paused, swiped a forearm over his face in an exaggerated motion, turned and yelled, _"Shut up!" _to the blond, who buzzed dangerously close to his precarious position.

The boy screeched to a halt, clouds of sand erupting from his shoes, a dangerous glare falling over his features. He grabbed the hot bars of metal, started to pull himself up, demanding loudly, "What did you call me?"

The redhead rolled his eyes, hung off the jungle-gym, clinging with only one hand, one foot, replying, "I didn't _call _you anything, I _told _you to shut _up. _You're ruining my concentration!"

The shorter of the two pouted. "I was only _singing." _

"Yeah? Well, your singing stinks if that's what you sound like," the other retorted, grabbing the hem of his shirt and quickly scrubbing the perspiration from his eyes. He resumed his ascension, as the blond screeched, _"It does not!"_

"Yep," the redhead said matter-of-factly, sounding strained from the physical effort. "It does."

The blond scowled deeply, shifting around on the lower bars, to get closer to his aggravator. "My _mom _says I'm good."

"Then, you're _mom _stinks, too!" the boy replied cheerily. Roxas sucked in a gasp, let out a wounded bellow, and launched himself at the disappearing heels of the redhead. Axel laughed mockingly. "Can't catch me, little baby Roxas!"

Positively spitting with fury, the blond's voice reached the sky as he shrilly cried, _"You butt!" _He scuttled quickly along, snatched Axel's ever-dangling shoelaces before they, too, could be jerked out of reach, and started tugging.

"Whoa!" Axel glared down at him, clutching the jungle-gym tightly. "Stop that!"

"I'm not a baby," Roxas hissed angrily. _"Kairi's _a baby!"

Axel decided the shoe was slowing him down, wriggled his foot out of it, clambered the final couple of feet up to the top of the structure. Laughing, hanging upside-down by the uppermost bar, he taunted, "That's right, you're _both _babies, and when you grow up, you'll marry each other and make _more _babies – and you'll _still _be the biggest baby around!"

Snarling like a wildcat, Roxas thrust a stubby arm through the bars, caught a stray spike of red and _yanked. _Unprepared for the viciousness of the pull, Axel's loosely hooked legs slipped, and he banged his forehead against one of the bars. A stunned moment passed, in which they stared at each other, a welt already appearing on the redhead's face, before, simultaneously, tears welled in the green eyes, as the blue-eyed boy launched himself from the play-equipment. _"You're the butt!" _Axel roared, struggling to lower to the ground before Roxas, wailing as he sprinted helter-skelter across the sand, could reach the safe harbour of his mother's arms. He dropped to his feet, one white sock sinking, one rubber sole, and started after the blond.

It was like a predator after prey, the powerful versus the weak, as Axel covered ground at three times the pace Roxas was managing. Their mothers, accustomed to the bellows and shouts their sons gave during the average playtime, had yet to pay any serious attention to the boys, infant Kairi with her mop of auburn hair bouncing contentedly on a dress-covered knee. Roxas went down with a high-pitched scream, lashed out, grabbed a handful of ponytail and wrenched with all his young strength. Axel's response was shrill, a battle-cry, and finally the two women on the park bench looked over.

"Roxas, be careful of Axel's hair! Don't pull!"

They broke apart, breathing hard, Axel rubbing at his abused scalp unhappily, a hint of a glare leftover as he looked at his friend. Roxas staggered to his feet, chubby hands waving. "But mom, he – "

The woman's face turned stern, golden curls dropping around her eyes. "Enough! I said, don't!"

Axel smirked. "Ha-ha," he muttered, earning a poisonous look. "You got in trouble."

The women glanced at each other, eyes rolling. "All right, boys, time to go home," Axel's mother announced, still bopping the baby up and down. She frowned, pausing to inspect the soft, fair skin. "I think Kairi's starting to burn, anyway."

"Aw, _mom!"_

"But we just _got _here!"

"It's been two hours," Roxas' mother told him patiently. "If that's enough time for you two to get into a fight, then it's obviously enough time for us to be able to go _home, _Roxas." Faced with the suddenly rebellious faces of the pair, the mothers exchanged amused glances. "Tell you what," the blonde woman offered, "how about we get some popsicles to cool us down while we're walking?"

Instant brightening all round. Roxas leaped into the air, shouting gleefully, _"Ice cream!"_

"_Popsicle," _his mother corrected firmly, standing and taking hold of the pram, pushing it around for Kairi to be placed into.

"But I wanna _ice cream," _the blond complained, latching onto her hand, the playground already forgotten in the face of a promise of frozen treats. Axel bopped along to catch up, leaving his mother with Kairi, and grabbed Roxas' other hand.

"If it's too expensive," he offered brightly, "you can not buy me a popsicle and use the extra money for an ice cream for Roxas!"

"Oh, no, Axel honey, you need one, too," the blonde attempted to gently argue. The redhead shook his head violently, more spikes coming loose.

"I don't like popsicles anymore," he declared proudly. "I don't like anything cold – I want a _fire_-cle!"

The woman raised an eyebrow, glanced at her friend, who shrugged. "He's serious," she said, in a resigned sort of way, pushing the pram up alongside them, the small group setting off along the sidewalk. "I caught him with his dad's lighter the other day," she muttered to the blonde, whose eyes widened. "He singed the bottom of the curtains before I got there and realised… Could've burnt the whole _house _down…"

"That's… odd," Roxas' mother whispered back, not quite able to hold back the little smile tugging the corner of her mouth. "A pyromaniac eight-year-old? I thought you guys got him out of it after that incident with the stove."

The red-haired woman pursed her lips, nodded, the wheels of the perambulator rumbling along the rough pavement. "We thought so, too." She noticed her friend's amusement, protested, "It's not _funny!_ Just you wait, he influences Roxas – soon it'll be _you _having to glue the hot-plate knobs in the off position!" The blonde snorted back her laughter, muffled with the free hand that wasn't being clutched by the jabbering five-year-old, the four of them crushed abreast as they travelled.

Soon, they reached the popsicle stand on the corner, and, under the force of both boys' begging, Roxas gained an ice cream. "Roxie! Ride on my back," Axel commanded excitedly. "Then you can see what it's like to be tall!"

"I _am _tall," the blond replied hotly, around slurps of the treat. "I'll be taller than _you_ when I'm grown up!" Still, he clambered up onto the offered body, clutching an arm around the redhead's neck, not bothering to mention as he watched droplets of melted cream tap onto the spikes of hair. At one point, Axel suspiciously asked, "Are you dripping on me?"

"No," the younger of the two replied airily. By the time they reached Roxas' house, the boy was crunching the licked-clean stick noisily, small hands gathered in fistfuls of green material. He bellowed into Axel's ear, _"We're home!"_ The redhead winced, nodded, set him down and made a show of cleaning out his deafened ear, sending the blond into gales of giggles at the silly expressions he made.

"Inside, boys, come on," they were urged. There was a pause, followed by, "Axel, where's your other shoe, young man?" Rolling his eyes at Roxas, still playing the fool, Axel wheeled around, staggered into the house and slammed into the wall. Roxas burst out laughing, a helpless, whinnying sound, clutching his stomach as the boy, muffled by the wall pressed to his lips, muttered, "I think I broke my nose."

The women retired to the sitting room with cups of tea, murmuring in low tones, Kairi feeding from her mother's breast as the boys settled down to play with Roxas' toys. "Look at the tug boat!" Axel exclaimed, yanking the wooden toy from the wicker hamper. "Look, it connects to the others!" Roxas was distracted for a moment by the serious voice coming from his mother, the one she used only when she was discussing the war. He hated the way it vibrated in her chest, whenever he sat in her lap and rested against her. Lately, too many of the adults had been adopting that particular way of speaking, Axel's mother looking grave as she listened to what her friend was relating, too low for the children to hear.

Axel nudged him, still focused on the boats, trying to show him the way to join the tug with the larger boat in Roxas' fingers. Frowning, the blond turned back, as Axel gently took the toy away. "See?" He was hooking them together, displaying it to show the way the bits fit. Kairi, having let go of her feeding nipple, started to cough out the first thin sound of a cry. With a sigh, the red-haired woman propped her against her shoulder, started patting her back. "We're starting to wonder if she has colic," she told the blonde. "It happens so fast each time. Poor baby Kai."

"When's your next appointment with the nurse?"

"Roxie? What's wrong?" Axel asked, quietly, lest the nosy mothers hear and demand the same thing. The blond shrugged.

"I don't like the war," he muttered. "I wish it was over already."

Clumsily, Axel wrapped an arm around his shoulders, giving him a hug. "It'll be over," he said confidently. "My mom said we're thinking of joining in, to keep them from bombing us. There's a meeting tonight, that's why you're sleeping over."

"But what if _we _get blown up?" Roxas asked, the question that was almost always on his mind since he'd grown sentient enough to know that things were amiss in the world. Axel's hug grew tighter, more comforting.

"You're my best friend," he said, with simple, childish certainty. "I won't let them blow you up."

Pouting, answer unacceptable, Roxas continued to half-heartedly play, Axel letting go a minute later and joining in, switching back to clown mode to raise a smile in the boy. It didn't take long before he was successful.

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Roxas, damp from a bath, sat on the settee beside Axel, the pair of them dressed in pajamas. The blond's were powder-blue to match his eyes, with a bunny motif, while the redhead wore bright crimson flannel, his hair finally released from its bindings, spikes shooting every which way as he leaned forward, cross-legged, elbows on knees, face in hands, staring at the television screen. Roxas was curled into the corner of the sofa, sleepily chewing the ear of a teddy-bear, which he insisted on keeping despite Axel's occasional sneering claims that only babies kept stuffed toys.

The lights were on, warm yellow filling the room, their elderly babysitter busy putting Kairi to bed in Roxas' old crib upstairs. The movie on the TV screen was something to do with dinosaurs, less Roxas' interest than Axel's, who watched raptly, acid-green eyes fixed intently in place. He jumped every now and then, just slightly, fingers digging into the fabric of his pants, lips parted. Roxas rubbed his face into the wet fur of his teddy, cuddling further into the corner, feet stretching out to push against his older friend's hip. Axel scowled as he was shoved, turned to the smirking blond, who watched from under mostly lowered eyelids. When the redhead twisted back, returning his attention to the screen, Roxas poked him sharply with his toes. Pale hands wrapped around his ankles, Axel warning, "If you don't stop now, I'll make you regret it. Let me watch – go to sleep."

"Not tired," Roxas stated, still with that sly smile.

"You are too," Axel responded quickly. "You're falling asleep at the same time as _Kairi – _baby."

Growling, the blond struggled up to sitting, swiping the soft hair from his eyes, jamming his feet into the other boy's side. "I'm _not _a baby!" He whacked him with the broad-side of the bear. "Take it _back, _Axel!"

"I'll take it back if you stop shoving me," the boy replied, smugly.

"Fine!" Roxas sulked, bringing the teddy into his arms to crush, wriggling around to lie on his side, scowling at the TV, where, throughout it all, the reptiles had continued to battle. Sighing with relief, the eight-year-old tucked his hands behind his head, leaning back across Roxas' feet, ignoring the way the toes twitched against his back.

The power went off. Midway through his loud complaint, Axel was cut off by a sharp, rumbling vibration, lung-deep. It started almost gently, then grew, building in volume, intensity, the sound of cutlery clattering in the kitchen. The walls hummed, the windows shook, the boys' chests buzzed with the reverberation. Roxas scrambled into Axel's lap, wide-eyed, clinging tight. Without breathing, they clutched together, recognising the sensation that had been visiting Hollow Bastion with increasing frequency over the last year. The blond's whimpers were barely audible as the thrumming absorbed the house, thunder rolling through their young bodies. He dug his face into the redhead's chest, felt fingers wind through his hair.

It was a long burst this time, lasting almost an entire minute, growing more and more frightening, like a great beast howling for blood. Forgetting all the words their mothers had ever told them about situations like this, they remained locked together on the couch in the dark room. A peak was reached, fever-pitched surpassed, and like a jet fighter flying overhead, the noise, the danger, started to fade.

That's when the whistling started, high-pitched and thin, a bare second before the house exploded. The boys' screams were lost, the structure wrenching and shattering. Sections of ceiling disintegrated, plummeted, a groaning rip tearing the air to strips. Deafening crashes and booms could be heard, near and far, the entire universe being blown chunk from chunk.

Time passed. Darkness swallowed, and when Axel opened his eyes, all he could see was sticky red-blond hair, right up against his face. He smelled dust, and fire, and blood. The fire was further away, though – it was carried on drifting whispers of smoke, his nose finely attuned to the scent. Eyes moist, shock stripping him of direction or reaction, he whispered through bleeding lips, "Roxas?" The little body directly beneath his own shifted. He lifted a trembling hand, took one small shoulder and shook gently. "Roxas?"

Dazed blue eyes were slowly revealed, rolling without focus. "Askel… Where's mommy?"

Kairi screamed from over their heads, loud and piercing, snapping them both upright, gasping. Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas, head tilted back. "Kairi!"

"My head hurts," the blond said faintly. The older boy turned to him, mouth quivering at the line of red that quickly trickled downward with gravity's influence. He wiped it away gently. "We got – blown up," Roxas realised, voice shaking up and down with distress. Axel took his hands, wound them around his neck, took the boy into his arms, carrying him as he stood, staggering. Automatically, the blond hung tight, sore head flopping against the taller boy's shoulder.

The room was dusky, the night sky revealed where it hadn't been before, stars apparent when the shell-shocked boy looked up. The ground was no longer clean and free; littered across the pale carpet were hunks of white plaster, the bookshelf, bricks and blocks of stone, one window broken and scattered. His feet were bare. By the time he reached the staircase, Axel was crying quietly into Roxas' blood-scented hair. He lowered the boy down, sat on the second step, and gingerly lifted one foot onto his knee. As Roxas clutched his shoulder, shivering against him, the redhead painstakingly pulled out the cutting objects from each sole. When he stood again, taking the blond back readily into his arms, he left smeared prints on each wooden step.

They reached the top, found Kairi's room smashed by an enormous slab of grey cement, stinking of heat. The infant was still crying, a hysterical, wailing sound without control. The sitter that regularly cared for the trio was nowhere to be seen. The crib was blocked off by debris. Axel started hyperventilating. "Kairi!" His throat was raw, the word a bare whisper. He set Roxas onto his feet, went to the wreckage, started futilely scratching and scrabbling, trying to haul with weak, skinny arms what a grown man couldn't hope to lift. "My sister's in there!" he cried shrilly, yanking at the rubble, breaking nails, scraping the bones of his wrists. Kairi screamed endlessly.

A gap in the mess was spotted, Axel briefly staring at it before scrambling over, frantically trying to squeeze through, scraping his shoulders and neck, the curve of his back, before realising he didn't have a chance in hell of fitting. He sobbed, tried to force his way, felt little hands grab his pajama shirt and tug. Gasping, he backed out, looked up in confusion at Roxas. The golden-haired boy was white as a ghost, eyes large and dark, lips almost bloodless, a gory smear where the fluid continued to trail down his forehead. Wordlessly, Roxas replaced Axel, wormed through the hole, disappearing from sight. The redhead sat back on his heels, heaving for air.

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"_Let me the fuck out!"_

"_Say it, Roxas," Axel said, a slight grin in place. "Say, 'Axel wasn't throwing a fit'."_

"_I won't," the blond spat stubbornly. "Let me go, you asshole! I don't like being stuck in small spaces!"_

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There was scraping, the baby's breaths hitching, her screeches quietening. When her auburn head was presented to the narrow gap, Axel nearly cried out. "Careful," he whispered, reaching gently through, cupping the back of her head like his mother had taught him, pulling her with his other hand under her arm. She started crying again, her face scraping the rock hard enough to graze, as between them the boys clumsily worked her out of the tight space. As she came free, Axel inhaled sharply, scooped her up, cradling her, the only injury a small cut on her shoulder. Roxas followed a bare moment later, choking slightly, panic evident in his eyes. He dragged himself over to peer down at the infant, as she hiccuped and wept, calmer, though, in her brother's arms.

"We have to find mom and dad," Axel muttered, bouncing her carefully. "She needs feeding." Roxas didn't answer, huddled up against him as they waited for her to be quiet again. "We have to find them," the redhead repeated. He sighed, as Kairi opened her mouth, making needful noises. "She's hungry." He grabbed a handful of Roxas' sleeve, used the boy to push up to his feet while clutching the baby. Once upright, he hooked his arms around her more securely, felt Roxas pull himself up by his pants-leg. Together, they left the unstable house, in search of parents that were, of course, already long dead… Little better than bones.

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Though Hollow Bastion's long days were hot under the sun, its nights, its dawn dews, were more than capable of freezing a small, overlooked child to death.

Many children were overlooked.

An emptiness had fallen over the city, a hollow feeling that seemed evident even to the young, who wandered with feet bare and expressions lost. Days passed, and, far too quickly, Hollow Bastion seemed to be dying. Those among the more highly-aged, that struggled and survived, were those that had been opposed to joining the war as a new participant, and so plans were made that the children were unaware of. Zanarkand was allowed entry into the broken city. There was no longer any resistance to speak of.

Just the wails of those that collected the dead.

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The three were quiet, as they munched on the apples Axel had managed to scrounge from the remains of the grocery store that they'd decided to camp in. He had found a break in the rubble, a small cache of decomposing produce that wasn't yet crushed by the ruined walls and ceiling. There were places he knew to avoid, after nearly three days – puddles of water that smelled strange, knives of stone that littered the ground under a deceptive powder of dust, the hole where the larger rodents entered. It was a tight fit, Roxas would have been better suited size-wise, but Axel knew better the sorts of things that could be eaten, would be tougher against the perils, or so he thought.

Sometimes, though, when he was deep within the quietly crumbling, cold depths of the silent store's debris, he wished he wasn't the older one, the stronger one. He wished he hadn't spent so much time telling Roxas what a baby he was, because now he had to act on that, had to leave the babies together, the blond holding the infant and shushing her whimpers, while he played the part of the hunter. He felt brave, and strong, and weak, hungry, tired, cold, terrified… He was determined, but his face continued to sport tear-streaks through the filth and ash.

Eventually, someone would come for them. His parents, or Roxas' parents – if nothing else, Kairi needed milk, his mother never let her go without for very long. She would be frantic, would be searching for her baby, knowing that Axel didn't know how to burp her properly.

The apples were old, but they were edible, and the children were starving. Between them, the two boys bit pieces of Kairi's apple off the fruit, made them small enough for her developing teeth to gnash without choking. It was a miserable, emotionless existence, the stages of survival robotic. Most of the time, when they weren't eating, weren't trying to keep warm or searching for supplies, they slept. Roxas, who had become Kairi's adoptive mother after Axel's frequent missions away from their almost-sealed hidey-hole at the back of the destroyed shop, would hold the infant in his arms, making her seem larger, dwarfing himself, and the two of them would cuddle into the older redhead, who slumped against a slab of rock he called their bed.

They stayed within their shelter, because the outside world had become a hell they did not know how to traverse. Soldiers had arrived – both boys recognised the green of Zanarkand's uniform – and were regularly patrolling the streets in large, noisy vehicles. Whatever had happened to their town, both boys knew that Zanarkand was to blame – Zanarkand was _always _to blame. That they were now actually within Hollow Bastion was a terrifying notion. It bespoke the end of – of _everything. _Axel distinctly remembered his father saying, the day that Zanarkand took Hollow Bastion would mean the end of life as they knew it. And now, the hated nation had come. They had blown up parts of the city. Roxas' house had been crushed by flying pieces of buildings, just like he'd seen on the evening news, and their parents had yet to rescue them.

Ten minutes after finishing her apple, Kairi began to cry, right on schedule. Roxas picked her up from her dirty position on the floor between them, heaved her onto his knee and began trying to soothe the girl's pained howls. Axel, with his hair tied back like he knew his mother would want it, propped himself up on one elbow and watched with a critical eye. The baby's stomach was upset from all the solid food they were making her ingest, digestive gasses building in her stomach and intestine. Sometimes, she would end up throwing it all back up, which encouraged the rats to venture closer, frightening with their glinting eyes and scurrying motions.

Roxas' lethargic rocking wasn't helping on this particular occasion, the almost silent boy making low, ineffective shushing sounds. After several minutes, in which Kairi seemed only to get more hysterical, as her constant demands for, _"Mammy,"_ went unanswered, Axel pushed himself up with a deep sigh.

"Give her over," he commanded bluntly, hands outstretched. Roxas blinked, some of the dullness leaving his eyes, before scowling, pulling the baby girl against his chest wordlessly. He had uttered less and less since first crawling out of the cramped space he had rescued Kairi from. It hadn't been until late the next morning that he had related the position he'd found their former babysitter in, after which he ceased almost all speech. He had got to the point now of being as possessive of Kairi as he had been of his bear, once upon a time. Any time Axel touched her, he glared, this, in turn, angering the redhead.

"I said, give," Axel said, irritation plain, hands insistent. When Roxas made no move to comply, instead redoubling his efforts to comfort her, Axel argued loudly, "She's not yours, Roxas, she's _mine. _She's _my _sister!"

The blond's face remained down-turned, whole body swaying as he attempted to cradle her to sleep. The redhead's patience snapped sharply, he jumped forward and snatched a handful of Roxas' soft hair, yanking his head back, opening up a clear view of Kairi's screaming, scrunched-up face, and a set of solemn blue eyes. He glared down into them, upside-down, prepared to try and wrench the infant away if need be, when a suddenly deep voice entered the cacophony: _"Who's in there?"_

The boys froze, Kairi's coughing wails continuing, giving them away. Almost simultaneously, the two children tried to smother her mouth, making her choke and screech with even more distress than before, head whipping to the side. _"Ssh," _they desperately bid her. A bright light pierced the natural gloom of their hiding place, sweeping across Axel's jutting ponytail, Roxas' outstretched feet clad in one of the towels the redhead had discovered in his foraging expeditions. The voice came again, directed elsewhere: _"There's a couple over here!"_ Into the hole, it called, "Hey, in there – don't worry, we're not gonna hurt you, kids. We're here to get you someplace warm, okay?"

Axel and Roxas froze, even Kairi quietening down at the sound of a nearby adult. Wide-eyed, the boys exchanged looks, more than a little fear in the blond's gaze as he hitched Kairi closer. Axel frowned, nodded slightly, turned to where the mysterious voice was coming from. The man was still talking, reassuring words, as the redhead crept along the wall of their little alcove, steps cautious. He must have crunched some rocks too loudly or something, because the voice stopped, the owner listening for a moment. Softly, he said, "You okay, kid?" Axel gasped a little. "We're not going to hurt you, I promise." The boy turned back to Roxas, who was clutching Kairi tightly, his face lowered to hers.

"Who are you?" Axel asked, shakily, echoing in the hollow space. "…Do you know our moms?"

"Sorry, kid, I don't think I do," came the regretful response. "But if they're out here, we can help you find them, okay? We're only going to help you."

The boy hesitated, hands slipping over the lip of the gap in the ruins, brought his dirty face around to peep at the intruder. He saw the green uniform, screeched, _"Zanarkand!" _and tried to scurry back. The soldier lunged forward, a thick arm shooting through and wrapping around the boy's bright red pajama top, yanking him to a halt. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be!" he yelled, as, across the abode, Kairi resumed her screaming, Roxas joining in this time. He staggered to his feet as Axel bit, fought and struggled, squeezed Kairi to his shoulder, half hanging over it, and grabbed his friend's head. He wrapped an arm around Axel's neck and started heaving the other way in a panic, trying to break him free, succeeding only in blocking off the boy's desperate flails. The three of them were pulled sharply sideways, towards the hole, and the arm snaked around to encompass Roxas' waist. The boys were slammed against the edges of the gap, both crying out in pain, Kairi slipping down Roxas' body, the blond grasping for her. Axel switched his focus, darted his arms around Roxas' waist and grabbed onto Kairi before she could hit the ground. The little girl dangled, with two sets of hands pressing her against the legs of blue, bunny-ridden pajama bottoms.

A second large arm came through, pressing down on Axel's head, forcing him backwards through the hole, the owner grunting, "We're really – just trying – to help."

"Zanarkand," the boy spat, a poisonous insult.

"You got that right, kid." Roxas was dragged after him. "If you want to help that baby," the man said firmly, "the two of you are gonna have to co-operate. She's not gonna survive in there." Kairi was screaming bloody murder. In an instant, she was snatched out of Roxas' hands by a woman who had been standing by, wearing the same green outfit.

"She's filthy!" came the shocked exclamation, before she promptly turned and left.

"No – _Kairi!" _Axel yelled, lunging, caught short by the man, who flung him over one shoulder, grabbing Roxas up by the back of his pants and shirt. Finally, the blond was making noise again, raging and kicking, demanding Kairi back, fury and command and venom vomiting forth from his mouth, mingling with Axel's. Together, the boys were dragged out to the road, where a waiting vehicle idled, the tray already packed with a collection of children in varying stages of hypothermia, starvation, and terror. Two more soldiers stood by, guns held obvious, keeping the youngsters from simply swarming back out, overwhelming them and scattering back out into the night.

Axel watched helplessly as Kairi was taken into the front of the truck, he and Roxas shoved into the tray with the others, struggling all the while. He was stopped by the butt of a rifle knocking his shoulder, not too hard, but hard enough to hurt, to serve as a warning, and was thrust into the crowd, Roxas jammed into his arms a moment later. Gasping, struggling to sit, they barely had time to catch their breath before the vehicle rumbled into motion, setting them off-balance all over again, sending them tumbling into their neighbours. The two soldiers with the guns quickly grabbed handholds on the side of the tray, leaping up easily onto the mudguards, crouching as the truck picked up speed.

In Axel's grasp, Roxas started to weep piteously, wrapping his arms around the older boy's chest and pressing close. The redhead was breathing quickly, mind fighting to catch up with the turn of events. He turned, found himself eye-to-eye with one of the soldiers, cried above the wind and engine, _"Where's my mom?" _When the man ignored him, his green eyes closed, squeezed, and he buried his face into Roxas' hair, fingers digging into the smaller boy's shirt.

The ride seemed to last an interminable amount of time, the truck quickly sweeping through the city, not making any further stops, exiting at the far gate and setting a fast pace up the mountain. The blond and redhead hugged tightly, panting the icy air, holding back frightened tears, whimpers at being separated from Kairi. Teeth gritting, Axel tucked his head down, pressing their ears together, feeling the wild thump of his heart echoed by the small chest pressed against his own. All around them, others were in similar situations, though many just sat huddled and quiet, waiting for whatever was to come. Some looked familiar, others were unknown, all of them destined to one fate.

By the time the castle came into view, they had turned numb, shivering. The hulking structure was one that they had all seen at one point or another in their young lives, but, as yet, few of them had ever entered its confines. The vehicle pulled to a halt, alongside another, identical, its back-end empty. The engine cut out, leaving them in silence broken by the footsteps of the soldiers as they hopped down from their positions, boots muffled by the earth. By this point in time, most of the weeping had petered out, short-lived and exhausted. Still wielding their guns, less intent now that they were in an isolated position, the two men worked the pins out of the short metal gate, lowered it down, looked up with flat expectance at the children's weary, drawn faces.

The man that had snatched Roxas, Axel and Kairi jumped out of the cabin, along with the woman, the infant sleeping in her arms. She set off for the castle without waiting, not bothering to let them see if Kairi was okay or not, not caring that she had people that cared about her. "All of you, out," the soldier ordered. "Line up in two straight lines, holding hands." There was a hesitation, then, slowly, the children started to obey, rising reluctantly from their cold positions. One by one, they dropped to the dirt, in ratty shoes and bare feet, varying states of undress. There was a brief confusion of questioning eyes, before they each found someone to pair up with, one oddly-numbered child left trailing behind. Axel and Roxas clung to each other hard, followed the human train into the depths of the castle.

Over the next three weeks, children from all over Hollow Bastion were brought in, hunted down in some cases, very few escaping the soldiers' determination. One by one, they were cleaned, checked for disease; some cases were sent back down to the one remaining, understaffed hospital that remained in the city, briefly patched up or operated on, then sent promptly back up. It didn't matter if their injuries were dire – once they were delivered into a state of virtual stasis, their wounds would cease to exist. Others were forcefully removed from the hospital's care, whether the caring physicians gave permission or not; it was out of their hands. Agreements had been made, plans set into motion, which very few had the power to control or influence.

Roxas and Kairi were only in the castle for two days. They suffered the same physical evaluations as all the others, had their details taken down, recorded. They were given one hot meal, and were scrubbed clean by soldiers standing on tiles with buckets of warm, soapy water and large sponges, mostly female. Axel and Roxas slept, for one night, in a shared single cot on the floor, alongside a veritable army of others in the same situation.

The next morning, Roxas was taken away, silent and wide-eyed. Axel assumed they would again be reunited, not realising that, as he tucked his knees up to his chin and watched the blond being led away with a crowd of other similarly-aged children, he wouldn't see him again for thirteen years to come. He had been evaluated, and found to be bright enough, independent enough, fierce enough to stay and fend for himself. The system was being overloaded as it was – any that could be spared, were.

And so, he was left alone, in cold Hollow Bastion.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **_(flails and dies) _OH MY GOD, YOU GUYYYYYS! DX Okay, first of all, thank you so much for that awesome flurry of reviews for this – your encouragement means the _world, _seriously :D Second, I apologise to the non-FFnetters I couldn't reply to – I accidentally managed to get rid of the email that them all, and couldn't find it again to save myself X( Thus, I had to reply through the regular reviews page, which of course doesn't include email addresses :S (I'm doing good, aren't I?) AND THIRD, DID YOU SEE ANY PIECES OF MY BRAIIIIIIN LYING AROUND? I've had a mental block for the last two chapters of writing, and it's killing me. On a plus note, a lot of you I've mentioned this to already, I'm now officially working in groups of two chapters rather than one, to allow my focus to actually _settle _on the story I'm writing, so there's another NegZ one coming before I move onto HTPD. And, uhhh, third: oh, that's right, SORRY FOR THE CRAPPY CHAPTER! _(flails and dies some more)._

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CHAPTER ONE

When the war between Zanarkand and Ivalice finally fell away, Axel was a twelve-year-old with an apple cart. It rattled on bald wheels along the cobblestones of Hollow Bastion's market district, wooden sides shaking, the long metal handle vibrating in his hands. His quick green eyes darted in search of the items Demyx had requested that morning, pouncing on the redhead before he could get out the door, whispering excitedly into his ear. Dubious though Axel's expression had been, the blond had nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling. At that point, Xigbar and Luxord had passed, the one-eyed man all but shoving Axel out the castle exit to get the pieces he'd been commanded to find. Demyx, the boy incorrigible, had appeared briefly to brightly wave, before a scarred hand had grabbed the collar of his frayed shirt and jerked him back in, the large doors sliding shut.

Axel had run the blond's list uncertainly through his mind, before shrugging and adding it to the one he'd already been officially been handed. He'd set off down the long, muddy mountain, smelling snow in the air. Only a few more days, and the rains would freeze.

He'd clutched his rough coat tighter, hearing little for a while but the damp slide of the cart's wheels, the sharp rustle of the plastic bags tied firmly around his feet to stave off the moisture trying to seep through his stiff boots. The gates to the Bailey were wide-flung, flanked by two green-clad soldiers that eyed him sneeringly, well-accustomed to members of the castle passing through. None of the other entrances were policed like this. They made a point of searching the boy, his cart, pulling his hair, poking his ribs, asking piercing, rude questions about the inhabitants up the mountain. Axel had been told, long ago, that he wasn't to react to their jabs, and so stood stoically, quite used to it now, waiting for the idiots to finish having their fun and let him through. His blood had ceased to boil at the treatment a long time ago, replaced with weary contempt. They knew, as well as he, that there was nothing he could tell them.

Their last attempt to rile him was to snap the tie from his hair, sending the scarlet spikes spraying out, springing up. They knew him, all the soldiers did, knew of his fixation with keeping it tightly bound. This was the only trigger they really had left, the only thing that could send him into a spitting fury, screeching with pre-pubescent vocals, clawing at their faces. He was – getting older, though. And Xigbar had threatened to kick his ass and shave him bald after last time, in which he'd given one lummox a bloody nose through pure accidental luck, and spent a long, cold night locked up in the small, temporary military prison Zanarkand had set up for dissenters.

Zanarkand, being the victor of the great series of tiresome battles, had seen fit to fill Hollow Bastion with its 'peace-keeping' soldiers, dedicated to making certain no resentment on the city's behalf could become a new instalment to what had been a generally bloody battle. As a result, they were, two months post-triumph, spending a chunk of their energies crawling like vermin through the city, with one beady eye set forever on the castle, political stronghold of Hollow Bastion, DiZ's residence and home to the fabled sanctuary of what had been heard of only as the Twilight Children.

Zanarkand's early involvement in the rounding up of the leftovers of families, four years previously, had been ceased abruptly, with a terse explanation and a suddenly obvious realisation that they had been used by a cold mind to achieve an end. Their show of effort in aiding in the aftermath of the destruction, which had yet to be claimed by any one group or army, had been cut off, leaving them in no doubt that they were treading on neutral, unwelcoming territory. As a result, they had no concrete idea as to what had actually _happened _to that small army of youths… but Zanarkand had not forgotten.

When the release of his hair had sparked no reaction, the soldiers at the Bailey had let Axel pass, the boy waiting til he was out of sight before delving into his coat pocket with cold fingers and withdrawing one of the spare elastic bands he carried these days, from the box he'd stolen directly from DiZ's desk when the man hadn't been there. He paused on the side of the wet road, letting the handle of the cart drop to the stones, taking several seconds to carefully bind his hair once again, making sure as few spikes as possible were sticking out. Satisfied with his efforts, he grabbed the cart, hop-skipped into a steady jog, the wheels making a racket against the cobblestones. He'd headed into the destruction, a short trip, winding through the cracked roads. The explosion that had destroyed town hall had by no means been the final blow for Hollow Bastion, but it had been the pinnacle of their devastation – after that, nothing really seemed so bad. The broken, shattered buildings were many, the streets quiet. Axel was one of the few children that existed in this place. It had been a long time since he had thought about it, already considering himself a man, tall enough, strong enough, cold enough to his own mind to survive anything that a mere child would be obliterated by.

Upon reaching one of the many sites of ruin, Axel had found it already inhabited, bristling momentarily before realising the boy was one of theirs. He'd let the handle of the apple cart drop with a clang to the pavement, tugging the material of his fingerless gloves firmly against his palms. The noise alerted the brunet balanced precariously in amongst the destruction, picking through debris, his small head coming up as if on a spring. Wide eyes relaxed upon seeing the familiar flame-hair, a bright smile breaking out only a second later. "Axel!"

The older boy sketched a casual wave. "Sora," he called, voice carrying clearly through the crisp air, "who's got you out here? Xigbar already gave me a list for this dump-site."

The boy had wiped his forehead, face scrunching. "Uhh – Vexen? He wants battery acid."

The redhead snorted, a puff of steam exiting his nostrils. "Okay. Be careful."

The nine-year-old rolled bright eyes. _"Duh, _Axel. I'm not gonna spill it on my _hands." _

Conversation had ended, the brunet continuing his search while Axel commenced his own, the list coming out scrunched from his pocket, gaze running down it perfunctorily, recognising each of the items easily. Giving a brief nod, he'd tucked it away again, more neatly, and he and his cart had spent the following three hours exploring the wreckage, hunting for all the necessary items. The art was in not getting cut by anything – the infections caused by these places were usually nasty.

At last, cart filled with a special space leftover, Axel had emerged from the ruins, Sora already long-departed. He'd brushed himself off, run a double-check to ensure he had everything he'd come for, either what had been explicitly demanded or a damn fine substitute. Satisfied with his efforts, the boy grabbed the handle of the cart, set off dusty and sweaty for the market district. Demyx's list was… scary, in its own special way. When the suggestion had been made the night before, huddled in front of one of the castle's many fireplaces, flames crackling, Luxord and Xigbar playing cards in the background, Axel had meant it as a joke – nothing more. He should've figured out, by the way the skinny blond's eyes had lit up, that the subject would make a reappearance…

Using the money he'd been given for emergencies and supplies, Axel purchased where necessary, stealing when possible, each of the ingredients to his friend's latest madness. Then, running because he'd used more time than necessary for a regular outing, he headed back for the Bailey, scuttling past the guards, who had no authority to touch him when he was leaving the city, cart bouncing in his tracks. He was able to slow after a while, hitching the cart closer, continuing more sedately up the expanse of the mountain. By this point, the bags on his feet were pretty shredded, not as useful. He could feel the cold touching his socks, just faintly at the toes, and shook his head with irritation. They'd need to be dried straight away – they were nearly new, and no one was going to fork out for a new pair anytime soon.

A light rain began along the way. By the time he got back to the castle, Axel was damp in the irritating way that wasn't entirely wet, yet nowhere near dry enough to be comfortable. He stomped in through the service entrance, abandoning the cart in the small courtyard. He sat on a small bench, prying off each boot and sock, wrapping them all up together in the tattered remains of the bags before setting off at a run through the castle halls, aiming for the workshop, an abandoned garden close enough to the service entry to make the transfer of materials easy, without being instantly vulnerable to thieves, the likes of which, very occasionally, ventured up the mountain with the opinion that those living in the castle were leading some form of easy life simply because of their high towers. Of course, they got their faces rearranged and were sent on their way. Axel wasn't totally sure what happened in these instances, since he was usually fast asleep, but he had woken up to the sounds of boot-steps outside his and Demyx's door often enough to realise that the castle didn't just shut down and go to sleep the second that _he _did.

Just before reaching the workshop door, he skidded to a halt, whispering a vicious curse, before pirouetting and setting back the way he'd come, realising he'd left Dem's stuff behind. He exited back into the cold of the courtyard, tip-toeing hurriedly over the icy stone, frowning briefly as he untangled one of the bags from his shoes, shaking out the dirt. He laid it flat, picking out the unnecessary items and placing them in the middle of the torn plastic, bundling it all up, tying a knot to keep it together. Balancing both packages under his arms, the boy took off a second time, making for his and Demyx's room, hoping against hope to not encounter anyone along the way. The coast was clear, though – he got there without incident, pushing open the heavy door, closing it quickly behind him, plunging the windowless room into gloom.

His sharp breaths audible in the close silence, Axel pushed the escaping spikes from his face, went to his bed, shrugging off the heavy, damp coat and wrapping it around the blond's requests. He dropped to his knees, pushed under the mattress frame, stomach worming along the floor as he shoved the package back into the darkest corner. With a grunt, the boy reversed, careful to not catch any threads of hair on the protruding, rusted springs. Arms finally empty, confident that their newly secret stash was safe from prying eyes, he sat back on his heels, running his hands down his face. Taking a deep breath, Axel levered up to his feet, padded back to the door. He opened it carefully, listening for approaching steps.

Silence.

Letting out a relieved sigh, the redhead darted out, preparing to sprint, when a hand grabbed his long ponytail. He yelped, jerking to an abrupt halt, bent suddenly backwards with wide eyes, promptly glaring in response to the ones he found smirking down. "Stop pulling my goddamn _hair," _he commanded.

"Goodness, is that any sort of language for a child?" Luxord scolded, a mocking tilt to his lips. He reached out with his free hand, tugging a stray spike and adding breezily, "Besides, _I'm _not the one doing the pulling." He grinned toothily. "That's all you, Axel dear. I'm just – firmly holding."

The boy shoved backwards, slapping wildly at the hand grasping him, sending the man back a step, laughing. Before the boy could take off, Luxord grabbed him again, lifting his toes off the ground, craning his head forcefully back so they were eye-to-eye. A slender, pale brow rose as he asked, "What are you doing here? I'm quite sure you had orders to come straight to the workshop upon returning, and yet, when I venture out to see what on earth could be keeping you so long, I find you creeping around the corridors…"

"I wasn't creeping," Axel declared hotly, mouth pursing stubbornly. "I got wet, so I was bringing my stuff back first – is that _okay _with you? Or do _you _want to take care of me when I get sick?"

The man snorted. "Scarcely. You can cough and splutter all over Demyx."

He was released, scowling deeply at Luxord, making an elaborate show of brushing himself off, straightening his shirt. "Can I _go _now?" he demanded. "Now that you've _molested_ me in the hallway?"

"Darling, you're awfully young to be speaking of molestation," the man replied dryly. "Where'd you hear a word like that at your tender age?"

"Larxene," the redhead replied loftily. The sharp-tongued eleven-year-old had sneeringly informed them that the only reason Xigbar paid more attention to Demyx was because he was molesting him, to which Demyx, once having the word explained, vehemently protested. Axel had been similarly sceptical, but was pleased to have been able to use it in context in everyday conversation. Luxord rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised? That girl is a minx, if ever there was one." He eyed the redhead. "Alright, then, get on with you. Xigbar will be waiting."

Axel resisted making a last retort, not wanting the man to hang around longer than necessary – not wanting to give him a reason to venture into their room and maybe hunt around a little. He took off before he could be grabbed a third time, grabbing the tail of hair at the back of his hair and tugging it around to rest against his shoulder, tired of having it messed with. His bare, silent feet covered the cold ground swiftly, zigzagging the dark halls, bursting into the workshop before Xigbar himself could come looking, the man too good at terrorising the children of the castle with the stories of when he'd been a sharp-shooter for Ivalice, before giving the war up a couple years before it finished. They were each and every one of them, with the possible exception of Larxene out of sheer determination, convinced that, if the mood struck him, the one-eyed ex-soldier could easily shoot them full of bullets, without ever letting them die, or even leaving a mark. _He was just that good. _

It didn't hurt that he carried a gun with him at all times, weird-looking creation, and waved it around threateningly at any given opportunity – this being one of those times. Axel screeched to a halt, stumbling as, upon entering the courtyard, Xigbar whipped the weapon up, not even glancing away from what he was doing, pointing it unwaveringly directly between the boy's eyes. Axel froze, eyeing the barrel uncertainly. "You're late, little dude," the man said conversationally, other hand continuing with his work.

"Luxord – !"

"Don't wanna hear it, Ax – " He twisted his head, golden-yellow eye swivelling to meet the redhead's green. " – all I wanna hear is that you got the stuff."  
Huffing, Axel crossed his thin arms. "Yes, I got it _all. _I even found the centrifuge you asked for, though it was beaten up a little."

The man grunted, slightly brighter. "Everything's beaten up. Cool. You did good. Grab a cart and start transferring." The gun was placed to one side, the hand resuming its work. Axel rolled his eyes, swivelled on one foot, exited the room. He was almost instantly tackled by Demyx, who grabbed his shirt and started running, giggling hysterically. By the time they reached the end of the passage, the blond had let go and was instead poking and prodding the redhead's ribs, whispering excitedly, _"Did you get them? Did you get the stuff?"_

Axel slapped him off, lower jaw jutting out, eyes deliberately widened, hissing back, _"Shut the hell up, jacktard! You want someone to hear?"_

Demyx by now had hold of the hem of his bright red shirt, was jumping up and down. _"But did-you-did-you-did-you get it?" _

Glowering, Axel shoved him off, snapped his hands down his shirt to smooth it. "Yes, I got it, now _shush." _He pressed a finger to his own lips for good measure, just to let it sink in that he should _shut the hell up. _The blond went into fits of silent glee. Axel sighed, made a dampening motion with his hands. "Just – don't give us away, okay?"

With visible effort, Demyx took these words to heart, reined himself in, adopting a strained calm. Rolling his eyes, figuring this was the best they were going to manage, the redhead grabbed his friend of four years by the hand and dragged him along to help carry the materials, piece by piece, to where the fearsome, one-eyed man waited. At least with Dem around, there was a better chance he wouldn't get shot today.

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Later that afternoon, with no one needing him, a rainstorm hammering upon Hollow Bastion, Axel traversed the rapidly darkening halls, dressed in thick clothing to stave off the cold. He knew well where was safe to step, and where bowls and pots had been set up to catch the many leaks that trickled and dripped. Everyone was busy for the moment, leaving him at last to recover the hidden goods and take them somewhere more secure.

A small, anticipating smile twitched the corners of his lips, as he pushed open his and Demyx's door, entering the dimness. Going to the stub of a candle on the single set of drawers that the two of them shared, he automatically reached for the box of matches beside it, slipped one out and struck it against the rough strip. Its head flared, first time every time with Axel, the orange-yellow glow briefly illuminating his calm features. The short-lived flame was lowered to the blackened, twisted wick, a moment later sending soft shadows bursting into being around the room's edges. Axel smiled slightly, picked up the candleholder, carried the flickering, warm light, watching how it bounced and swayed against the walls, casting him a long, ebony twin along the stone. He gripped the edge of the mattress, lowering down to his knees and setting the flame well out of hair's reach. Forehead touching to the ground, Axel's green eyes flicked up towards the corner, his body preparing to follow, slithering, when the boy froze.

The corner was empty.

He blinked slowly, carefully, making sure that, when he looked a second time, he was _really, really _looking. Not just skipping his gaze across, but piercing, _looking, _damn it! This had no effect on the general absence of the bag of illicitly-gained items. His eyelids fell again, and he took a breath. _Luxord. _

"Fucker," he growled, under his breath. He'd got that one from Larxene, too. He pushed against the stone floor, jumped to his feet, grabbing the candle up and blowing it out, plunging the room into darkness, deeper than it had previously seemed. He left it on the bed, went and wrenched the door open, stomped off down the corridor, blood slowly steaming. He began a systematic search for the man, checking his usual haunts one by one, before coming across him in one of the many smaller libraries littered around the place. Flames crackled in the fireplace, momentarily distracting the boy, calming him slightly as his eyes were automatically drawn into their flickering depths.

Luxord was sitting in one of the ragged old pieces of furniture left around from the castle's heyday, a velvet and wood creation that would have been sumptuous in its early days, now just a reading chair of little more than rags. His gaze flickered up briefly as the boy stomped in, returned to the book in his lap. When a long moment passed, in which nothing happened, Luxord looked up again, eyes narrowing, brow arching. He silently took in the anger of the redhead's body language. "May I help you?" he asked, lips pursed slightly. Axel glared back.

"You went into my room today," he stated. "You took my stuff."

Surprise flooded the man, evident in his expression, no trace of offence at the accusation, but curiosity rising up. "What makes you say such a thing?"

Axel faltered, tried to focus his gaze to pin the man, wring his guilt out and staple it to the wall for all to see. "Did you, or didn't you?" he demanded, in a way that suggested there was only one right answer, of which he was already aware. Luxord shook his head briefly with a sigh, returning his attention to his book.

"Of course not," he murmured, turning the page. "Why would I go into your room, Axel? There's nothing of interesting for me _there." _He paused, eyes passing beyond his book, a small frown forming. He glanced over, speculatively, this time _he _being the one to own the piercing gaze, so much more convincing with the years of experience, the ability to actually punish. "Or – is there?"

Axel was uncertain now, not sure if he should persist in his roundabout accusation, or cease and desist with a brief getaway. "There isn't," he said, slowly. "But I found my stuff all over the place, and a candle on my bed…"

Pale eyes rolled. "Oh, and naturally one assumes that _I _should be the culprit?"

"Well – you were creeping around my room," Axel stated, aiming for a scathing tone, while his mind was already racing away, tearing through the halls, seeking connections. Luxord gave a small, faintly irritated huff.

"And have you forgotten," he drawled, eyes on the pages, fire burning near his outstretched feet, "that you happen to _share _your room with a human _whirlwind, _Axel?"

Ah.

_Ah. _

Whatever had been left over of Axel's outrage withered and died abruptly. How had he _not _thought of Demyx? Without thinking, he slapped a hand against his forehead, rubbing briefly, nodding. "Right. Right." His right eye narrowed, rushing thoughts changing direction abruptly, swirling up a set of stairs, along a dark hallway, into a forgotten room filled with cobwebs, where a blond sat huddled in the empty fireplace.

Without a word of apology, Axel hurried from the room, breaking into a cautious run, bare feet slapping the cold stone, a hand trailing the dusty wall, racing over the bumps and scars, jumping away as he leapt across the hallway and up a narrow, winding set of crumbling steps. The castle had an army of unused, forgotten rooms, places that were simply superfluous to their purpose, perfect for clandestine meetings where no one would dream of looking. The ground here was slippery, no pots to catch the drips, the floor slick with damp and mould. There were windows here, elaborately carved into the castle walls, boarded up so that only slits and cracks of light showed through. The air was colder, too, far from the numerous burning fires they relied on for warmth in the lower floors. The redhead's breaths puffed out in small clouds as he carefully traversed the treacherous passage, avoiding the patches that would take him sliding into a broken limb or two.

Their secret place was the very last room in the long hall, Axel reaching it after five minutes of swift caution, rattling at the stiff handle, shoving against the wood with a shoulder, forcing the door open. Demyx was sitting in the icy fireplace, the bag of items open and spread wide, jumping so badly he knocked his head against the low brick mantle when Axel burst in. "Demyx!" the redhead bellowed, lunging for him. The blond let out a squawk, scrabbling and leaping away from the bag, running to the opposite side of the room.

"I'm sorry," he squealed, as Axel caught up with him, grabbing his thin shoulders, the pair of them slamming into the wall. "I just wanted to _seeeeee!"_

"Do you _know _what will _happen _if we get _caught?" _Axel demanded between clenched teeth. Demyx froze, dared to glance back at his attacker, blue eyes wide. Very fractionally, he shook his head, whispered, "…No?"

Axel glared. "Neither do I, but do you wanna find out?" He lowered his head, peering at the blond from under his brow. "Do you _want _Xigbar to get us? Or – _DiZ?" _

Demyx let out an, "Eep!" and clapped his hands over his mouth, shaking his head more definitely this time. "Not DiZ!" he hissed between his fingers. Axel nodded, satisfied that he'd successfully frightened the boy.

"Next time, _wait _for me, Dem – otherwise…" He gripped the blond tight, placed the nail of his index finger just below his left ear, dragged it with sound effect down across his throat and up to the other ear. Demyx shivered, gulped, nodded. Gently, Axel released him, let out a sigh. "Well, now that we're here, we might as well have a good look at it all, right?" The blond brightened, a smile spreading across his features. Without waiting for his friend to change his mind, he went bouncing back over to the fireplace, ducked his head and squeezed in. Axel followed, crushed himself in across from the blond. It was a tighter fit than it used to be, being one of the smaller fireplaces. Perfect when they were nine and ten, less so now that growth-spurts were catching up with their suddenly lanky limbs. "You got it _all," _Demyx stated happily, having already sorted through the collection. He pulled out each piece, laid them out neatly – six green apples, a small bag of flour, smaller bag of sugar, eggs, some pre-made raw pastry wrapped in plastic: the makings of a pie.

"I think I can do this," the blond confidently nodded, eyes roving over the contents. "I'm pretty sure I remember."

Axel rested his chin on his fist, eyeing it all. "Where do we cook it, though?"

"Uh…" Demyx's eyes rolled up in thought. "My mom used to put the oven to – two-hundred? Or was it four-fifty?"

"I'll figure out the heat," the redhead said lazily. "Won't be hard. But, Dem, thing is, we don't have an oven."

The blond grinned, reached across to poke his friend's nose. "Oh, come on, Axel, don't be thick. I know _heaps _of places where we can bake a pie." He surveyed the ingredients with fondness, a little wistfulness. "It'll be just like having my mom back."

"Yeah, or not," Axel replied flatly. "It'll be just like having a _pie, _Demyx. Your mom's as dead as mine is."

There was a flicker of anger in the blue eyes as they darted up, smothered as he took in the other boy's expression, that familiar, closed-off look. A few seconds elapsed, after which Demyx calmly said, "It'll still be good. So… are you gonna help?"

Axel snorted. "Of course I am – it was _my _idea, right?"

The blond gasped, punched his shoulder. "Was not! If I hadn't told you to get this stuff, we wouldn't be doing it at _all!" _

Smirking, beginning to gather it up, Axel replied, "Maybe, but you wouldn't have even _thought _of it if I hadn't found that picture in the old magazine."

Bickering, the two packed the ingredients back into the ragged plastic bag, and went to find an out-of-the-way cooking implement.

-------

"_I. Am. Disgusted." _Vexen was in a fury, pacing up and down the room, hands clamped behind his back, long, fair hair swinging, eyes ablaze. His narrow face was pinched with rage, teeth bared as if, at any moment, he'd turn and take a chunk of flesh from one or the other of the filthy twelve-year-olds. They stood with heads bowed, eyes wide with fright, a foot of space between them, caked in flour, a fine layer of ash covering the murky white. The man seemed to barely know what to do with himself, whether to scream or just start beating them into bloody oblivion. Demyx's lower lip was quivering, the effort of not bursting into tears taxing every inch of his energy. Axel wanted to sidle sideways and squeeze his hand in support, but refrained, fearing the scientist's reaction if he did.

The lab had been plunged into absolute chaos. Perhaps the two should have realised that a boy with a fascination with water, and a boy with an equally powerful fixation with fire, shouldn't have been allowed near electrical equipment to bake. There was smoke, there were sparks, there was, inexplicably, egg dripping from the ceiling, and all of Vexen's more solid beakers – a.k.a stirring bowls – had been alternately shattered or ruined for life. There was a bottle of who-knew-what that had been emptied onto the floor, the only indication that it was most likely violently poisonous the fact that its scent stung their noses. Still, Vexen wouldn't let them leave. Accustomed to the many harsh fumes, he merely paced and ranted, percussive sounds becoming increasingly spit-laden, while the boys cowered, cringed, and grew steadily more light-headed.

The pie… hadn't gone well.

At last, as Axel started swaying, the world blurring slightly, Vexen broke off, eyed them. "Are you getting _high _off my _chemicals?" _

"Not… voluntarily?" Demyx breathed, blinking rapidly, in a confused sort of fashion. Letting out a fierce growl, the man seized each boy by the smaller hairs at the backs of their necks, dragged them from the room. They were under the castle, in one of the basement labs the scientist had set up to follow his own strange little experiments while further researching whatever he did for DiZ. All the boys really knew was that Vexen was the only one that got electricity on a regular basis, from the portable generators _they _had recovered from the destroyed hospital on the edge of town. This meant, among other things, that he had a microwave which was actually functional… until you placed apparently delicate glassware inside with a volatile mix of baking ingredients, and set it on high for twenty-five minutes.

The generator wasn't doing too good, either.

They were jerked and tugged up along the hall, up the stairs, through the ground level of the castle and up more stairs, Vexen's boots stomping loudly, the bare feet of the boys slipping and sliding as they attempted to keep up without tripping and having the hairs torn straight from their flesh. They reached the hallowed entrance to DiZ's office, a virtually unknown room, one built of myth and legend. You didn't go to see DiZ. They'd, between them, sighted him a total of three times in the years since they had been brought in from Hollow Bastion's streets. He was a fictional figure they used to frighten one another in stories, especially Sora, who viewed the man with something bordering on terrified awe. And here they were, at the ogre's very lair. Green eyes and blue met with fear, an angry Vexen suddenly seeming slight and far-off. This – was bad.

The tall man, reluctant to give either of them a chance to escape, merely drew back his foot and kicked the door once, hard. _"DiZ!" _

Both Axel and Demyx held their breath, hoping and praying that nothing would happen – the fable wouldn't be home. Axel stiffened, Demyx sagging slightly, as the sound of boot-steps appeared dully from the other side. There was a low click, and a moment later the door swung inward, a single golden eye peering out, narrowed. "Vexen – what is it?"

Without waiting to be invited in, Vexen surged forward, forcing DiZ back as he shoved through, bringing the children with him. "These two," he spat sharply, thrusting them before his clear, piercing gaze. They instinctively clutched hands, wide-eyed as they gazed up at the master of the castle, who studied them dully from his great height. He dressed strangely, in dark maroon robes, a jagged golden pattern to the stiff waist, a fearful figure with his head forever swathed in rough bandages, for reasons no one seemed to be aware of – not even Xigbar, who was the most scarred and pocked creation they'd ever had the fascination of studying, and never bothered to try and cover his flaws up.

"What of them?" the great man asked, with obvious disinterest, his accent similar to, but thicker than, Luxord's. In any other situation, that might have almost been comforting, but there was nothing that could make this encounter any less of a petrifying experience.

Vexen fumed, stabbed a finger their way. "My third _lab – _these – these _cretins _destroyed it! There's – DiZ, there's _flour everywhere!" _He resumed his pacing, raving sputtering back into being as if it had never been interrupted, the stiff-postured man listening dispassionately, gaze flicking occasionally over to the criminals in question, who cringed and waited for the life-ending punishment to strike like lightening bolting from the sky.

Night had fallen firmly by this point, evident through the closed window at the edge of the room, the glass shut tight but the curtains left open, rain splattering against it noisily.

At last, interrupting the scientist's third cycle of his tirade, DiZ lifted a hand and asked, "And what would you have me do, Vexen?" The man fell silent, blinking blankly.

"Wh – what?"

"These curs have messed up the third lab in a cooking experiment gone wrong – what would you have me do?" the question was repeated, calmly. DiZ shrugged a shoulder in their direction. "Do you want them to scrub it clean? Fine. Would you have them locked up overnight? It can be done. I see no reason for this to concern me – you are well within your rights to perform any punishment you see fit."

Vexen shook his hands in the air, crying, "But that's not the _point! _I came here to attempt to _show _you what they're doing here, and demand, yet again, why on _earth _we're playing at a babysitter service?"

DiZ's expression darkened. "Do not bring this up _again, _Vexen. You know my views on the matter."

"Fine, yes – you wanted them while the war was on, correct?" Vexen said, jumping at the subject, eyes gleaming. He threw a hand at them. "But the war is _over _now – these creatures are able to go out and find new homes! Hollow Bastion has no need to fear the bombs, and is more than capable of fostering a few stray children, don't you think?" He drew close to the man, smiling eagerly. "We don't _need _them anymore. They should be out there, living their regular, dirty-faced lives, not trapped up in a dark castle where for fun they _destroy my third lab!" _

DiZ, reluctantly, was engaged in the conversation, actually participating as his thoughts started moving along, finding Vexen's train and comparing the two. "So…" His voice was soft. "Now that we have what we need from them, after four years, we're to – what, Vexen? Just throw them out to fend for themselves?"

The boys watched the conversation with chests tightening, Axel's brows lowering dangerously. Vexen pursed his mouth. "If not the real world, what about your false one?" he suggested sharply. "They were kept out because they'd be useful. If you insist on holding onto them, providing for them, why not put them inside the simulation with the others? Surely they'd be happy there."

The redhead snarled, forgot his fears. "You can't just send us away!" he cried, hugging Demyx suddenly close, as if they were under attack. Both men looked over in surprise, as if having forgotten that the young ones in their presence actually had ears with which to listen, minds with which to think. "And you _still _need us, even if the war _is _over – I went out just this morning to get stuff for Xigbar, and – and _Sora!" _He whipped his savage gaze to Vexen. _"You _had Sora out there for _battery acid _just this morning!" He glowered. "You're not done with us, yet."

As Vexen's eyes narrowed, a slight smirk curled the corner of DiZ's exposed mouth. Curiously, a brief motion with his hand signalling Vexen to keep quiet as he went to berate the lack of respect, he asked, "Why are you getting flustered about this, child? Wouldn't you _want _to join your friends? You know they were put inside a computer program, to live their lives in peace, correct?" Axel scowled, nodded. "Wouldn't you want what they have?" the man continued, studying him. "A life where you didn't have to fear, or worry? I say this in theory, of course – I have no intention of inserting you now any more than I did in the beginning – but I'm curious as to why it is you are so adamantly against it."

Axel was torn. Upon hearing that DiZ had no intention to get rid of them that way, he felt a burst of relief, but it was mingled with confusion. He knew little about the computer that almost all the other children had disappeared into, only that they were being put where they couldn't cause trouble or be in danger from the outside world. He never thought of it in terms of peace, or happiness – just – them being there, him being here, an invisible barrier separating him from the place he knew Roxas and Kairi to be. He felt a stab, sharp and deep, at the thought of being able to live his life with them, just to be able to _see _them again. His eyes betrayed him, the man nodding slightly.

"I understand wanting to remain in the castle," he said quietly. "After all – this is your home. I am well aware of the way that children cling to places they view to be a comfort zone. And you are correct – " He lifted his chin, fingers lacing more tightly together, a thoughtful look coming into the visible sections of his face. " – you have all served us well in the years since your arrival. It would be a low act indeed to be rid of you simply on the assumption that we will need your size advantages less as the coming months progress, now that trade is being re-established with the other countries, now that it is safe to do so…"

Axel's eyes narrowed, grip on Demyx tightening, gaze darting to Vexen, who was controlling himself with effort. He relaxed slightly – if Vexen wasn't liking where the man's thoughts were going, it probably worked out okay for him and Dem in the end. "We don't want to be thrown out," he said quietly, stubborn.

The blond, against his chest, softly added, "We can find new ways to be useful."

DiZ's gaze sharpened at this, a slow nod coming. "…Yes. I have been considering for some time taking on some of you as apprentices, I'll admit. And what better time to begin your training?" He lowered his head, elegant steps taking him around the broad desk, soles clicking loudly in the silence. He sat, leaned back, considered his hands, which curled together on the hard surface. "The war is done with. We need not fear Zanarkand's forces if they decide we are putting ourselves above them, technologically... and the system is growing more complicated by the day…" He trailed off, lost in contemplation, Axel and Demyx watching warily. "Boys," he said, after a long minute, "you need to go with Vexen now. I expect his third laboratory to be scrubbed accordingly, and all damage made up for in due course." His single eye found them, hard. "What I am proposing will not be easy for any of you – but any that wish to stay on with this castle may do so, and become my apprentices."

The boys blinked, uncomprehending. "Uh… okay," Axel said hesitantly.

"This _is _what you want, yes? You may leave if you choose – the city is ours again."

Demyx stiffened. "I don't want to go," he said in a small voice. "I'll be an apprentice." He clutched the redhead, added with a small amount of panic, "So will Axel – right?"

The twelve-year-old studied the man behind the desk, his large, rough hands on the wood, the steadiness of his unbroken gaze. Some part of him hesitated slightly. "…If we did," he asked cautiously, "would – we be able to see the people that we lost?"

DiZ blinked, a faint smile shadowing his lips a moment later. "I can guarantee nothing substantial. They have not been lost, but placed away for their own good, you must understand. But – you would see them, yes. It has been several years, yes?"

Axel took a short breath, heart suddenly pounding. "I'd get to see my sister? And – Roxas?"

Demyx hugged him a little tighter. They both knew the other's nightmares, having shared a room for so long. They each woke occasionally crying various names, and the two always on Axel's lips were those of his sibling and best friend.

"Yes," came the placid answer. "You could – _see _them."

Axel lowered his eyes to Demyx, the boy nodding in anxious encouragement. After all, if Axel left, he'd have to leave as well – they were a unit. Green eyes closed, a thick swallow taking place. "Okay. I'm in," he sighed. He turned back to DiZ. "We'll be – apprentices."

The man nodded, looked at Vexen. "Does that answer your question?" The scientist glowered half-heartedly, the heat gone from his foul mood.

"Fine. But they _will _clean my lab."

"Of course." DiZ gestured to the boys. "The two of you, go and clean yourselves, do as Vexen commands, take any punishment he chooses for you. In due course, your training will begin. I have been in need of technicians for quite some time."

"Y-yes – sir." There was a long pause, during which no one moved or spoke, before Axel realised this was their cue to leave. Shaking himself, he let go of Demyx, though the blond instantly snared his hand again, and quietly, they left the room.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

**A/N: **Well… hello, there XD My GOD, YOU GUYS! Was that only three weeks?! It seemed like soooo much longer – so, so, soooooo much longer! So, I mastered the trick of dropping off the face of the earth precisely three Tuesdays ago, and am currently freaking out ever so slightly at the state of every inbox I have ever possessed. I was going to spend a couple days recovering lost time before posting this, but figured I'd do it so you all know I'm back. I'M BACK, BABY! So – I am going to, steadily and surely, work through all the notes and stuff you beautiful people sent me out of concern, and I ask you – and this is quite a request – to not review unless you really feel the need to. Not this chapter. I'm posting it only to let you know I am _actually _still breathing, and I've missed you all terribly, but a new influx of reviews will very possibly kill me. I just want you to enjoy it, okay? If you hate it, let me know why, otherwise just know I'll be speaking to you in the next couple days, a-righty? Oh, and the reason behind my disappearing act – MY MODEM MELTED! I'm lucky it didn't take the whole compy with it, though it had a damn fine try. Anyway. Enough jabbering. LOVE! PS: Check out the new layout in ffnet? Wow. Everything happens when I'm not looking. PPS: THIS ENTIRE - FUCKING - CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN BY HAAAAAAND. EXCEPT FOR A PAGE. PPPS: Why, oh why, can I no longer do those little dotted line things that I'm so very fond of? Jeeze, ffnet - it's give with one hand, take with the other!

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

The reception room was filled to bursting, overflowing with black ties, ball-gowns, the occasional uniform. People mingled beneath glittering chandeliers, the warm lighting refracting in blinding bursts against sequins, diamonds, watches and cufflinks, black-polished shoes and boots. Smiles were broad, teeth perpetually bared, voices raised to be heard and echoing laughs reminiscent of the tormented braying of beasts of burden. Flashbulbs assaulted from every direction, capturing the many happy faces, the bubbling flute-glasses, the superficially ignorant cheer. The soft strains of a string quartet underlaid it all, swimming in and out of the gathered revellers, adding an air of superfluous sophistication to the proceedings.

Cloud, nineteen years old, sat awkwardly in his seat, dress uniform stiff with starch, hands clamped between his knees. Wide, clear blue eyes flicked about with a nervous air, the boy having no clue as to how to conduct himself in such a setting, no idea why he was even really here. The muscles of his back were beginning to cramp from the effort of keeping his posture rigidly solider-straight. In front of him, on the sheer tablecloth, a tall flute of untouched champagne sat, lonely and neglected, sides dribbling with condensation. Zack had got it for him, clapping him on the shoulder while consuming canapés from a serviette, ignoring the teen's protests that he wasn't allowed alcohol while in uniform. The raven-haired man was himself blatantly giving the rule the proverbial finger as he periodically slurped at his own glass, never one to pass up a freebie when it floated past on a snootily-toted tray.

They were two of the few soldiers in attendance, Zack because Sephiroth had asked him to come, Cloud because Zack had dragged him along for moral support. His vivid description of these sorts of events had been akin to a horror story worthy of rivalling anything they'd experienced in the war. Cloud hadn't been enthusiastic, forcing Zack to pull the blood-brothers card on him. Though the blond maintained it didn't count when you were similarly gored by bayonet and bleeding on one another, Zack countered that it meant more than those sissies that pricked a finger and smeared the resultant ruby beads together. Volume mattered, apparently. And so, somehow, Cloud had found himself argued around, a lowly Private sitting anxiously among the political and militant cream of Zanarkand, scared to breathe wrong, while Zack lounged beside him feasting on entrees.

It was – almost fascinating to watch him, in an altogether grotesque kind of way. The man hadn't eaten in two days. He was in the middle of official leave, house-sitting the General's Bevelle-based apartment, and had yet to figure out how to switch off the TV and slob down to the nearest convenience store. It was a regular wonder to Cloud that the man, oftentimes grossly lazy and disorganised, had risen with such efficiency through the ranks of the Corps. If he himself hadn't witnessed what an excellent warrior and tactician his friend was, he'd have been forced to attribute it to sexual favours.

The boy sighed, boredom intense. The occasion struck him as somewhat ridiculous, a heavy dose of self-indulgent back-patting, not the least of which was centred almost exclusively around the General and his three younger, look-alike brothers. Every time he saw the silver-haired foursome, they were surrounded by sycophants and admirers, egos being stroked like particularly fluffy cats no one could quite keep from petting. Cloud wondered, once again, why it was that the great man had asked Zack to come – he had pretty much arrived in the same capacity as Cloud, to act as a bright spot of sanity in amongst the glittering chaos, but as yet it had just been he and the blond, and canapés being balanced on noses for fun.

"Come on, Spike," the man cajoled, a baby prawn sitting on the cartilage of his nose while he popped a larger one in to be ripped apart by his teeth. "I know you're allergic, but you don't have to eat it – just see how many you can carry before they start to fall off. It's a fine-motor exercise!" As Cloud inhaled shakily and tried to look as if he didn't know the strange person at his side, Zack leaned over carefully, twisting in his chair and pressing the top of his head against the blond's upper arm, adding pleadingly, "Come on, man, humourrrr meeeee."

"I'm pretty sure I did _that _by agreeing to come," Cloud muttered. Sensing a presence of puppy-dog eyes, he couldn't help but glance down. He sighed, "You really look ridiculous, did you realise that?"

"Hey, watch this." Grabbing Cloud's thigh to steady himself, a look of intense concentration came over the man's features, his tongue coming out and pausing for a moment, before darting up and snaring the prawn. It disappeared into his mouth, a bright grin breaking out, eyes sparkling as he chewed. "I'm like a lizard!"

"I saw you move," a deep voice broke in, making Zack sit up sharply, coughing hard. Both heads twisted, Zack beaming as Cloud paled. He'd been using the occasion to curiously study the General from afar. He'd heard stories about the man from Zack, had seen glimpses of his carefully controlled, bland personality when he'd taken Zack groceries in the apartment – none of it really prepared him for being face-to-face with the real thing. Although Zack's various colourful anecdotes suggested otherwise, Cloud had so far got an impression of – _absence _from the man. His living arrangements, his behaviour tonight, all pointed towards a – a _blankness, _for lack of better description. The blond couldn't quite put his finger on the swirling black hole of personality that this glorified figure had ended up seeming to be.

Zack, however, evidently saw things differently. "Seph!" he cried joyously, eyes watering slightly as he continued to choke. Then he frowned, indignant. "What do you mean, I _moved?"_

The silver-haired man sent him a pitying look, reaching down to snag a canapé from the stash so lovingly laid out upon the napkin. Zack's displeasure increased, a growl and a wrist-smack doing nothing to deter the celebrated general from stealing his food. "Firstly," Sephiroth sighed, "I've seen you do it a thousand times already, and find it incredible that you still manage to amuse yourself with such a 'trick'. Secondly, I told you: I saw you move. You jerked it off your nose and caught it with your tongue. No doubt," he added dryly, "it was more obvious because you were so busy cuddling up to the Private here."

Being addressed by the man, even indirectly and with derision, made the blood suck from Cloud's skin. Zack laughed, grabbing the blond's shoulder and giving him a light shake. "Seph, this is Cloud Strife! You've heard me talk about him, right?"

Cloud felt briefly sucker-punched. Yeah, he'd listened to the various stories Zack had related about _Sephiroth, _because he was _worthy _of speaking of – the boy had been suitably entertained by the tales of wild missions, incredible odds beaten with a mangled arm and a toothpick, instances in which Zack had laughed hysterically from safety while Sephiroth was attacked by crowds of single women more frightening than any one-on-one with a creeping assassin. Then, of course, were the things he'd heard through the grapevine, less rose-tinted, more – bloody. Ruthless. To think of Zack bothering to speak of him in the man's presence was – almost humiliating, perhaps the slightest bit horrifying. What the hell had he told him? The way that Cloud always relaced his boots upside-down? The way he'd screamed and wept when Nibelheim had gone up in flames from the bombs? The way he drooled and muttered in his sleep? _The way he always woke up spooning whoever he was sharing his sleeping-bag with? _The possibilities were endless, each more scorn-inducing than the last. Cloud… kinda wanted to be sick.

He raised his wide eyes to the General's, hands suddenly trembling, to find the man's hard eyes boring into him, flatter than before. "Oh?" The tone made the blond's stomach drop.

Oh, jeeze. Had Zack told him how he'd found Cloud rifling through his underwear drawer?

He'd just – he'd been curious in the way that's hard to _suppress. _Zack had been in the shower, and he'd been sitting _on the General's bed, _waiting for him to be finished – Zack had _told _him to sit there – and the sound of water had been pattering, and the man had been singing deliberately horribly because he knew Cloud could hear, and – the dresser had been _right there._ He'd seen the General's speeches – surely he wasn't the _only _one to wonder what kind of underwear Sephiroth wore under the leather, right? And he'd just – he'd had to look all of a sudden. He had to see _something _about the man. His apartment was so goddamn _bland,_ the only personality that pierced the dull grey motif of his presence was the direct result of Zack messing the place up. So he'd pulled it cautiously open, had gone sorting through with a single blond brow hiking higher and higher – who knew Sephiroth wore knee-high tube socks? – and so engrossed in his task had he been, he never… noticed… _when the shower stopped. _He'd nearly had a goddamn coronary when Zack's hand had fallen hard on his shoulder, the demand made in a _disgustingly _good impression of the General of, _"What are you doing in my privates, Private?" _

Cloud had died a small death that day. He'd been pretty confident that Zack wouldn't tell, but – trust Zack to find funny what someone else would find plain old stalkerish. Cloud was surprised he wasn't already being thrown out on his ass for being some kind of creepy, underwear-peeping pervert. God only knew Sephiroth, of all people, had the power to do so – the man could eject him from the human _race _if he was of half a mind to do so.

However, rather than deliver a scathing remark about the luxury of privacy, the General just stared at him dully for a moment, before switching his gaze back to Zack. "You look like you're having fun," he observed dryly. Cloud blinked. Wow. Way to be snubbed. Not that he was so surprised – he was a _Private. _He didn't belong here, that much was clear. He'd been brought in over his head.

He felt a spike of resentment Zack's way, and sank a little lower in his seat, the ramrod posture growing less strict under the burden of his sudden discouragement. The two men conversed a little over the next two minutes, small-talk, the General enquiring after the state of his apartment, to which Zack blatantly lied, before the man was called away by some political head of something or other, drawn back into the jaws of the elite. The soldiers were left alone again, and the first thing Zack did was turn to Cloud and say, "Christ, Spike, I'm sorry about that." His expression was dead-serious, mollifying the slightest edge of the blond's disgruntlement. "I don't know what the hell that was about."

Cloud shrugged awkwardly. "It's okay. I mean, you know, he's the _General, _and I'm just – "

"Don't give me any of that 'just' bullshit," the raven-haired man interrupted, a finger rising in warning. "You're a person, aren't you? Besides, Seph doesn't give two shits about rank. He preferred the old days of being a nobody soldier to being someone people are constantly bugging." He grinned. "It's more fun where you are. If anything, he'd envy you the freedom." His face sobered again. "Honestly, he's not usually like that." He ran a hand through his spikes. "I don't know – maybe it's just the event. God only knows it's a wank on Zanarkand's behalf. Stupid, arrogant ceremony." He sighed. "Seph's not happy to be here, that's all." He smiled crookedly at the blond, who continued to look downcast. "Don't bother your pretty little cotton-head about it, okay?" He reached out, ruffled the boy's spikes roughly, made Cloud whine and duck away. "God, will you eat something, already?" the man scolded. "At least have your goddamn drink, before _I _do, and we both know I can't afford to get drunk in front of these people – I'd make an ass of myself."

"More than usual, you mean?" Cloud automatically responded, a small smile twitching his lips. He glanced over at the champagne. Not his favourite drink, by any means – but all of a sudden, adhering to the rules just didn't seem to matter anymore. He'd been ignored by the greatest soldier that ever lived and breathed within Zanarkand's ranks – being a good little Private felt a lot less necessary than it had ten minutes ago. With a shrug, and a small cheer from Zack, he touched the pads of his fingers to the warming glass and lifted it to sip from. The bubbles had started to die, but it still tingled pleasantly against his taste-buds.

Their attention was pulled to the side of the room by the sound of a spoon tapping rapidly against a punch-bowl, where the buffet was being laid out by white-clad servitors along a bridge of wine-coloured, silk-covered tables. At the foremost of these stood Sephiroth, tall and calm, expressionless, surrounded by a small contingency of the greater figures in the room, including his brothers – the oldest of which, Cloud had discovered, was barely older than he himself.

A speech was made, congratulating them all on having printed the first history book detailing the war between Zanarkand and Ivalice, written heavily in favour of their native country. From the way all of society's nobility smirked and nodded to each other at this announcement, one would have assumed it had been _they _at the front-lines, cutting through wave after wave of the enemy, alternately fighting to protect their soil and hungrily claim another's. Cloud unknowingly curled his upper lip in slight distaste, understanding abruptly precisely why Zack hated these things, and – Sephiroth, too, apparently?

Sephiroth, being the General that had all but ensured their victory, was handed a champagne bottle and bidden to stand upon one of the elegant chairs. He did so, a gossamer sheet pulled away from a towering lump in the centre of the table to reveal a gloriously constructed pyramid of beautiful glasses, brimming with golden liquid. The man tipped his bottle, completing the masterpiece by turning it into a brief fountain of shimmering champagne. It was a pretty sight, Cloud had to admit; made it a little worthwhile that he'd had to come at all in the first place. It was something nice to picture if ever he found himself mired in trenches again. A smattering of appreciative applause spread through the audience, which he and Zack joined in.

That was basically the high point of the evening. It faded quickly, becoming an endurance of hideously pompous speeches performed at the front of the room, while Cloud and Zack gradually made their way through as many of the dishes that were on offer as their stomachs could allow. Their table filled and emptied of the lesser personalities at the meet, one of whom seemed offended at having to share her eating space with two of the soldiers that had ensured that this ceremony was even taking place. By the end of the night, Zack had Cloud viewing the irony with amusement, and eventually they escaped, the raven-haired man unable to save Sephiroth more than he already had, threshold of pretentiousness met and breached. They scuttled off to get changed at the General's apartment, Cloud steering clear of the bedroom completely, and went and got drunk at one of the nearby bars.

* * *

The first time Axel went to see Roxas and Kairi, he was expecting the four-year drought to be coming to an end. This was it – finally, after so much time apart, the three would be reunited. He didn't know if he'd be going in to the computer, or if they'd be coming out, but he suspected the latter – for all he logically knew, or at least had heard, he still didn't really view it as possible to be actually put into a _computer. _Not for him, at least.

So, he made plans, and wondered what Roxas would think of Demyx, making a mental note to keep Kairi far from Larxene. He felt, attempted to quell and failed, a sharp bubble of excitement swell gradually to fill his stomach, lungs, tickling the base of his throat. His fingers had tingled, and not just as a result of touching the harsh chemical half-coating the third lab's tile floors like oil.

Two days had passed without summons, he and Demyx growing increasingly anxious, darting each other glances during the quiet moments, wondering. None of the other children were aware of the change that was theoretically on the brink of sweeping through their ranks, continuing their daily lives and chores undisturbed. The struggle to keep the information to themselves was fierce and constant, for the blond especially, more naturally inclined than Axel to share what made his heart bubble or bleed. One that noticed, and apparently _was _aware of the situation, was Xigbar, and after he cornered the two in a lonely hallway and threatened them with a quick death if they cracked and told, it became abruptly simpler to keep it a private affair – at least for the moment.

At the end of those two days, they were called upon, and for the first time in their entire stay at the castle, the boys laid eyes on the last room their loved ones ever stood in within reality's confines. It was awe-inducing, being surrounded by all that steel, the endless banks of buttons, the heavy monitors suspended high and low, the slashed leather-and-metal chair with the padded arms, placed in the perfect position to be able to access it all.

The room was cold, and lifeless. There was no blood to it at all. It was too easy to imagine this being the home of DiZ's operations – the usually-sealed metal door was what epitomised the man in the minds of those that lived under him. To enter such an environment was almost terrifying, but Axel was determined; from the moment he entered, his eyes flicked about in search of those familiar heads of hair, heart thundering. He knew he'd be able to convince them to stay here, with him. It might take a while to make them understand, and they might not even have completely remembered him, but he'd remind them – he'd keep them. They'd be together, a trio of inseparable quality, foursome with Dem – maybe more, with Demyx's old next-door neighbour, if he stayed out as well. It all came together so clearly in the boy's mind, flawless and shining.

And then he found himself, minutes later, staring at a screen and being expected to be grateful.

Even a year later, in the pre-dawn hush the castle always settled into, sunk down in the worn leather, feeling the back-bar digging into his spine, Axel could still almost hear the reverberations of one redhead's broken fury, vibrating off the walls. DiZ had almost been startled – but not entirely. He'd known that his promise and the boy's expectations had… differed.

Axel had had a while to get used to it, now. He understood the man's motivations, as much as he didn't want to. The anger had felt like fire after ice, tearing through his system, setting nerve-endings ablaze. To have to return to such a damp state – one of dull acceptance – was difficult. But… sacrifices had to be made, he wearily supposed.

No one was awake yet, or at least, not wandering. Axel had got used to rising as the nearby fires started dying in their hearths. He would go to them, one by one, and feed more of the wood he and others had chopped, axes thunking and splintering in the frigid winter air. This done, the boy usually ended up with about an hour before anyone pertinent woke, with little to do with himself – no tasks, no demands, no learning. The first few mornings, he'd contented himself with reading by the fire, flames crackling, wood popping softly, the pages warm, familiar, dull.

It wasn't long before colder places began to call.

One of the first things they had learned, all those months ago, was how to access the system to view the simulated town DiZ had created, and continued to add to. Axel had thrown himself into it, determined to, if nothing else, have the ability to interact with their environment, and had, for several weeks now, been using these quiet mornings to briefly check on that which he had lost.

Chin in hand, fingers draped across his mouth, the green eyes shifted slowly around the screen, elbows gingerly placed in the cold spaces between controls. What had at first seemed a painful cheat was now… almost enough. He couldn't relax until he knew they were doing okay, those two little people he'd once shared his life with.

Roxas was currently on-screen, ten years old. It had been startling at first to see him so much older – Axel had been expecting the small, chubby blond of yesteryear, pouting and lording about, but instead – instead he saw a boy kind of like Sora in dimensions, with blue eyes developing an edge. There was a quick mind in there, careful and slightly blunt, and at first, Axel had wanted to demand where his friend had gone… But then Roxas had smiled at something someone was saying, and the sudden knot that had been forming in the redhead's chest had subsided. Roxas was just… older, was all. No doubt he himself was looking a little different.

At the moment, the blond was sitting in school, draped over his small desk, looking bored. Kairi, three years below him, was elsewhere in the same building. When Axel had looked in on her, she'd been giggling with a friend over some boy. He'd tuned out in a hurry. Roxas, though… Roxas was interesting. He inspired a curious sort of melancholy in the redhead, enjoyable like sharp burning heat can be against the palms – it was nice to just… it was good to _feel. _Axel was pretty sure it wasn't even a positive emotion, but it felt so _good _to have something in his heart. Something unrelated to death, to struggle, to frustration or even satisfaction. This longing, to be friends with him again, play with him, protect and tease him – it was almost a relief. He wasn't reacting to his environment, or enduring yet more of the old, dogged mourning that haunted his steamed breaths – he was wishing. He never felt more keenly than he did in these hushed moments. Maybe that was the true reason he kept coming back.

When he felt his undiscovered time reaching its expiration, Axel vacated his post, slipping from the cracked leather, shoes softly treading. Luxord would be in soon to monitor the simulation after the several hours in which it had been operating unobserved. The boy wasn't sure if the man knew that he'd been doing this, or even if what he was doing was wrong – no one had explicitly told them they had to be supervised, as such – but he didn't want to get caught at it. Doing it in secret when no one knew was one thing – doing it when he'd been forbidden to was a new and different step. He didn't _care, _he'd find ways to come regardless, but it served better to not be prohibited in the first place.

So, the teen returned the screen to its original state, the tumbling columns of information, and slid from the room, listening cautiously for anyone approaching. He traversed the few hallways back to the mainstream paths, joining the others, newly-risen, making their way to the dining hall. He entered the large, cold room and instantly started shivering, pulling the extra sweater from its knotted place around his hips and tugging it on, the high ceiling and broad windows making for a continual breeding ground of cross-draughts. His hands pushed through the baggy, hand-me-down sleeves that Rinoa had brought back from market recently, along with a couple garbage bags of other clothing items to be generally dispensed.

He spotted Demyx waiting in the breakfast line and brightened a little, heading over, flipping a small wave as the boy noticed him and shoving into line, the blond cheerfully informing the disgruntled surrounding others that he was allowing Axel in front of him. "You been up long?" he enquired, handing the redhead the extra bowl he'd grabbed for just such an occasion. Axel shrugged, expression vague.

"I got the fires going. We might need to cut more wood before next week at the rate we're burning the stuff." Demyx fell into grumbles at the thought, claiming the blisters from last time hadn't even had a chance to heal properly yet. Axel shrugged sympathetically, not particularly bothered. They shuffled forward, several steps at a time, bowls clutched carefully. At the head of the queue stood Xigbar, beside the stove, serving with a glare slop upon slop of simmering oats. As they reached him, noses wrinkling as the unappetisingly viscous porridge oozed into their dishes, Axel paused, holding up the line to ask, "Hey, Xigbar – you think it's the lack of depth perception that makes you a shitty cook?"

The grey-streaked man's golden eye narrowed, fingers twitching on the serving ladle, obviously itching to pull out his gun, which DiZ had long ago forbidden to enter the hall. "Do I _ask_ you to eat it?" he growled in demand. "No. Do I force you? Fuck, no. Do I _care _if you starve to death?" His expression broke briefly into a thin-lipped, dangerous smile. "Only 'cause kiddie services'd be on our asses faster than you can say, 'but the little shit insulted my cooking'. The bullets they'd find in your corpse, well…" The smile grew. "I'll tell 'em it's 'cause I couldn't bear to see your pain."

The boys blinked, Demyx commenting, "Wow, Xiggy, you're kinda creepier than usual today."

The man pointed at him. "Don't. Call me that. Screw off, squirts, other shrimps are needing feeding." Eyebrows raised, they continued on, taking a seat at their regular table, with Tidus and Sora, both of whom were already partway through their oats, spoons covered in the gunk. The brunet was heatedly saying, "He is _too _real," a ferocious scowl in place. The blond had a pitying look in place. He glanced up as Demyx and Axel sat.

"Hey, guys," he greeted, a note of resignation in his voice. As he dug his spoon into the goopy breakfast, he added in response to their curious expressions, "Sora's got an invisible friend."

"_He's not invisible!" _Sora all but yelled, gripping the side of his head in frustration, attracting stares. The two newcomers exchanged glances, mouths twisting with the beginnings of amusement. Tidus, however, remained unaffected by the display, responding, "Not, of course not, how stupid of me. He's just – ah, say it for them, Sora."

The boy's blue eyes found them warily, gauging their receptivity. Tidus poked him. A pout in his voice, obviously anticipating further ridicule, the boy crossed his arms and slumped back. "He's my magical friend."

Demyx and Axel stared, the redhead blinking slowly. "Sora?"

"Shut up," the brunet sulked.

"Did you cut yourself, get infected, and develop a fever at the last dump site?"

Blue eyes narrowed sharply, and for a moment, Axel was startled. He looked so much like Roxas with that expression. During the brief, dazed silence from Axel, Demyx interestedly interjected, "…What kind of a magical friend? Like, a fairy?"

Sora threw his hands up in disgust. "Of course not! There's no such thing as _fairies!"_

"What, then?" Tidus asked tolerantly, swirling his spoon through his food to make patterns – there was usually a general lack of ingestion whenever Xigbar cooked. Sora, however, was not feeling generously inclined. He pressed his lips together, jaw jutting stubbornly. Demyx leaned across, hands clasping together pleadingly. "Come on, tell us about it! You don't want everyone to think you're a liar, right?"

The brunet's eyes widened. "I'm _not _a liar," he cried indignantly. "He's _real."_

"Well, we definitely know it's a _he," _Demyx observed shrewdly, making Sora's teeth click together.

"I'm not allowed to talk about him," he muttered, after an expectant pause. The three others broke into loud jeers, the younger boy almost in tears by the end of it. It was Axel that ceased first, once again disturbed by the facial similarity Sora bore to Roxas. They were obviously different people, of different blood, but the older they got – the more alike they seemed, and it all served to make him feel like a huge jerk to see the boy upset. It was like seeing it on Roxas.

He nudged Demyx with an elbow, said, "Guys, shut up – if Sora wants a magical friend, let him." All three stopped, surprised, faintly confused, even Sora, behind his glitter of new tears. Sora-baiting wasn't just a favourite pastime – the kid was so easy to fool and laugh at – but usually, it was Axel that was the instigator, the ring-leader of it all. Especially since DiZ had seemed to take a shine to the brunet, who soaked up information like sponges drank in water. That wasn't to say they didn't _like _him – it was impossible not to, with Sora – but fun was hard to come by, and he was the perfect picking point. Something like this could've provided _months _of creative teasing and jokes, and Axel was – cutting it at the bud? Understandably, Sora quickly fell into suspicion, his expression drifting thankfully back into his own facial range, leaving Roxas back inside the computer.

As breakfast drew to a close, their attention was drawn to the front of the room by one Selphie Tilmitt, Rinoa by her side with arms crossed, the pair of them looking smugly pleased with themselves. Sixteen-year-old Selphie drew her hands up, paused to survey the small mass of chatting youngsters, then clapped sharply three times, yelling, "Listen up, shrimpies!" Silence mostly fell, the glares of Rinoa shutting up the remaining few. Smirking, Selphie announced, "Okay, now, we've got a busy day today, okay? This morning, you're splitting into your groups. DiZ and Luxord have given us a list of tasks to get going on over the next week. Rinoa's guys, you're gonna be with Xigbar learning more, with prac-work, on how to repair the goddamn cooling fan in the extended mainframe, as well as welding some new plates onto the cable channel. Nice and hands-on!"

Axel began cursing silently, fluently. Trust _Rinoa's _fucking group to get to work with blow-torches. Stupid Demyx and Sora. "My gang, we're doing some _extra-_special crap today," the girl continued happily, hands rubbing together. She bounced on her toes. "We're gonna be with Vexen in the second basement, violet-washing stuff for digital insertion!" In response to the groans that greeted this, she pumped her fists into the air and quietly cheered, "Yaaay!" She performed a little dance. Mid-hip-swivel, she paused, shrugged, added, "Okay, so it's not going to be fun-packed. But you know whaaaat?" A broad grin broke out across her face, the dancing-in-place resuming. Rinoa took over.

"We've got a surprise for you all," she smiled. The four boys at Axel's table exchanged interested glances.

Selphie sang out, "That's ri-iight – but you _gotta _do good, or else you miss out," she warned, a finger emerging to jab at them all.

"What kind of surprise?" one girl enquired lazily, sitting at a table further along with Larxene and one other. "Is it worth trying for?"

The smugness pushed to irritating levels in the two older teens. "Oh, I think even you'll find it'd worth it, Paine." The other blonde at the girl's table shook her arm, fingers wrapped into her sleeves.

"Ooh – sounds good," she whispered loudly, the beads in her hair clicking together.

"We're not telling you what it is til everything's done, though," Rinoa warned them all. "So, everyone head to your group meeting places, and get to work."

There was an exodus from the hall, the youths that had chosen to stay after DiZ announced their liberty the previous year separating into two groups. Demyx and Sora said goodbye, Axel and Tidus heading in the opposite direction, making for the basement stairs. Vexen was waiting at the bottom, in front of the closed basement door, specially installed to separate the room from the steps and the above level. His hands were clasped, hair hanging loosely around his shoulders. He eyed the arrivals with resignation, having had eleven long months to come to terms with their sudden elevation to trainee status. He had personally led several classes, and was becoming reluctantly invested in their success – which made him more of an acerbic hard-ass than ever, they'd found.

Selphie was the last to arrive, hair softly lit by the dim overhead lights illuminating the enclosed stairway. "Heya, Vex," she cheerfully greeted, waving as she pushed through to the front of their crowd, next to him. She turned from his distaste, surveying the gathering. "Okay, you know the drill," she said, voice echoing in the narrow space, hands on hips. "I know it's chilly down here, but you'll warm up soon enough. We've got a whole new section to get through today, and we want it gone ASAP, got it? So, the upper door is sealed, it's safe to enter, wash hands _please, _and then get going, regular stations." With a clap of her hands, Selphie was done, movement rippling through the ranks as Vexen opened the heavy second door and led the way into the basement, already adding his own, more detailed instructions to the girl's vague pep-talk. Axel pushed off the wall, following Tidus, the pair of them at the very back of the group. As he reached the door, a hand fell across his chest, holding him back as the blond's back disappeared into the room. He looked over, eyebrows high, eyes cautious as Selphie gave a crooked half-smile.

"What?"

"That stuff you were asking after," she said softly, "it's in your station." Axel's gaze widened, small shadows pooling around his features, the saliva left as he licked his lips shining brightly. He hesitated, nodded jerkily. "Okay. Thanks. I – owe you one." She patted his shoulder lightly.

"What can I say?" She cocked her head to the side, lifting one shoulder. "We're all in the same boat. I know what it's like." She swivelled on one heel, strode into the basement, Axel taking a moment to collect himself. His palms – they were sweaty. Clearing his throat, steeling himself, he followed, entering the room, eyes going automatically to Vexen, not wanting to be berated for tardiness. Luckily, the scientist was too busy calling some girl an idiot for dropping an entire bucket of water two-point-five seconds into the exercise.

Everyone was already mostly set up, their motions automatic, dragging pieces of equipment into place, stacking boxes where they wouldn't get wet. With swift experience, the youths collected buckets of swaying water and sharp chemical set up in the centre of the room, the basement's ventilation second to none to protect their lungs, eyes. The steel-grating floor clanged and clamoured under the combined chaos of so many shoes, the drainage channels beneath already trickling with that which had been spilled.

Axel hurried, not wanting to be pinned by Vexen's cold glare, anxious to see what awaited him at his work-station. He shifted to the long hand-washing trough, peeling off his two sweaters, thick fabric, exposing his skinny, black t-shirted torso to the utter lack of heat. He folded them roughly, tossed them over with all the others along the far wall, sluiced his palms with anti-bacterial soap and scrubbed them together, rinsing away the resultant suds. He made sure his hair was secure, then grabbed a pair of long, puke-pink rubber gloves from the collection beside the trough, yanking them to his elbows as he hurried over to settle at the edge of the room between Tidus and Rikku, the blonde girl from earlier, Paine's friend.

Vexen spied him, displeasure crossing his face at the redhead's lacking speed, but Selphie, in a similar position on the other side work-floor, restrained his tongue. Axel reached his station, throwing a glance each way to the blond and the blonde, who were ready, standing over their first pieces of equipment. Rikku was one of the older apprentices, counting fifteen years. Rinoa, at seventeen, was currently the oldest of the Hollow Bastion orphans in residence, she and Selphie more-or-less the official spokespeople of the war's breathing debris in DiZ's care. There were several of them dotted around the place, but the majority of the older city-inhabitants, from about thirteen upward, had either found ways to avoid the soldiers those five years ago, or not been targeted due to their size. The majority of the castle's more mature minority were female, grabbed because of their smaller statures at the time, assumed to be within the age-group requested by DiZ.

"Hey, Axie," Rikku chirruped, flashing him a bright grin, pushing back a swatch of miniature braids as she waited for business to begin. She had a jewellery box out, was absently swiping it with a dry cloth in preparation for the cleaning. Axel grunted, shooting her a squinting look at the nickname. Tidus snorted back a laugh.

The redhead adjusted the fingers of his gloves, bending down and swinging over the bucket Tidus had got for him, some fluid sloshing over the edges and through the hard metal grating underfoot. Physically prepared for the task, he was now able to let his eyes travel to the crates of belongings that had been shoved into his workspace – Roxas' belongings, and Kairi's – his parents', the blond's parents'. The sum of their childhoods together. Silently, he thanked Selphie. It would have stung so badly if it had been someone else doing this, washing and disposing of the last remnants of his early life with as little thought and emotion as he gave to all the others _he _did.

As he caught glimpses of objects with the boxes, his heart began to pound almost painfully, blood rushing to burn his neck, tongue tasting a little more sour than before. His throat constricted, and it was a blessing when, moments later, Vexen plunged the lab into darkness. Axel's momentarily broken, lost expression was swallowed by shadow, and when the ultra-violet lights flashed on in replacement, sending paths of purple-black so deep the seemed almost as if to consume through the basement, he was back in control of his features.

Stoically, at Vexen's broadly barked command, Axel got to work. He removed the first item within reach, a long, key-shaped piece of metal with a handle, its end clanging against the ground as he set it down, dragging the bucket closer and plunging an arm into its warm, chemical depths. Fingers touched soft foam, the noises of disturbed water echoing throughout the dark room as the others did the same. He pulled free the thick sponge, slopping water onto his pants, his boots, though he tried to minimise the flesh-contact – this shit burned if you touched it too often, or too long, thus the need for gloves.

As, around him, chatter ceased and work began, strenuous at times, Axel gazed down at the metal, oddly-shaped pole. The UV-light, in combination with the non-corrosive chemical Vexen with Rinoa's group had initially prayed across each object, showed up the marks and stains, smudges and powderings of dust, all of which had to be removed before being sent to their rightful owners according to the wills of the dead. Everything inserted into Twilight Town had to be harshly disinfected – illness, if it spread, would be difficult to contain. General antibodies were contrived and distributed, year after year, but the simulated environment was otherwise utterly sterile, any foreign, unanticipated agents more than capable of wiping out a chunk of the several thousand children that had once wandered through the castle's halls.

Taking a breath, faltering for a moment as he realised, really took it in that this was a physical piece of _Roxas, _Axel plunged the sponge down the steel shaft, falling into the puffing silence of effort as he scrubbed away the hidden threats. The metal shone under the black-lights, the rest of the room fading from focus, concentration set firmly on his task. He took longer than the others this time, a usually quick worker, lingering to ensure that every item going to his best friend and sister were safe without a doubt. The key-like object was completed, only to find there was a second one, the redhead repeating the process.

A frown worked its way onto his features as he worked, Roxas filling his mind, the stab of wistfulness accompanying the images not entirely new, but unexpected in the here and now. This lonely sadness – it was usually reserved for when he sat within the cold computer room, gazing up at the screen. Eyelids shuttered rapidly over green irises, blinking away the faint sting, of chemical, definitely chemical. The ventilation… it must've been acting up or something.

When no marks showed on the second metal object, Axel placed it carefully beside its fraternal twin, in a disinfected wire box, the pair clinking together in greeting, the pink-gloved hands leaving them reluctantly. Every object he placed beside them over the next couple hours was left with just as much hesitation. He didn't want to be doing this, didn't want to solidify those lives in _there – _he should have been weakening those barriers, those _walls, _not strengthening them by feeding even more of Roxas' life into the machine.

At last, when there was nothing left of the blond's inheritance that hadn't been looted from the crumbled structure of the bombarded home they had once upon a time been friends together in, Axel was left… desolate. Empty, a little bit. He'd thought taking care of this stuff would be a good thing, but all it did was… make him miss his best friend more. Demyx was great, he was awesome, he was like a brother practically, but there was no way Axel was going to use him to replace Roxas. Roxas still needed him, even if he didn't know it, and Axel – he didn't ever want Roxas to think he'd been forgotten. Not even when he was all alone and unaware that there was someone out there, out _here, _rooting for him. Axel refused to let the kid go.

The next load, once he was done with Roxas' things, was of course… belonging to Kairi. How strange, to watch one's sister age within a machine. Stranger, even, to be washing the remnants of her possessions, being returned at last, after all this time. DiZ had only really bothered with the task upon taking on his many apprentices, who could do what one man and his few assistants couldn't quite manage between their other responsibilities, finally having people with the time and budding strength to perform it efficiently enough to make a difference.

The first item out of Kairi's box was a doll, one which sparked sharp memories within the boy. The urge to tuck it under his shirt and keep it was overpowering. He almost swayed under the mental assault, the fabric, plastic and woollen creation pressed up against his face before he was even aware of it, inhaling deeply, the harsh water trickling down his forearms, gathering against the skin of his biceps, seeping under the rubber's hem. In amongst the group of hardworking youths, he was the only stationary one, breathing the aged and faded scent of baby, of home, of old smoke. Tidus glanced over, frowned. "Axel – what are you doing, man? You're putting germs on it."

Green eyes flashed open, brows drawing down into a scowl from behind the doll's red-wool hair. The blond straightened, glanced around to see where Vexen was. "Look," he said, quiet but insistent, "you don't want to make Kairi sick, right? I _know _it's gotta be hers," he sighed, in response to the wary look. "You don't exactly do this a lot, you know? But you can't keep it, you know that. So wash it and put away. Just – do it." The boy was almost pleading, eyes continually darting for Vexen, who would keep them back longer if they were caught slacking off, no matter the circumstances behind it. Axel wasn't the first to encounter his family's belongings, and he wouldn't be the last. None of them could be kept by apprentices – nothing could be held back. It was DiZ's decree, and the man's word was law. Vexen would uphold it; even Selphie would gently insist. "Besides," Tidus muttered, "it's not like there's anywhere you could keep it."

Axel's mind flashed automatically to the old fireplace, his and Demyx's hiding place, an image of a lonely little doll sitting in it beside their stash of other illicitly-gained or forbidden goods. But that wasn't available anymore – not since Dem had nearly frozen to death inside it last winter. It had been a dumb mistake – he'd arrived too early, Axel had arrived too late, and discovered Dem after forty-five minutes of having sat there, in the dark, cold space, the frigid chill brought by the stinging snow outside turning the boy blue. It had taken nearly three days for the blond to fully recover, and their hiding place had been discovered and lost.

Head drawing slowly back, Axel's eyes shifted across the feeble object, this piece of his sister. For a moment, desperation made as if to rise, but… it was useless now, wasn't it? She had been taken by the Zanarkand soldier, inserted into the system without even a last cuddle from her only surviving family member. She'd probably still been… crying for 'mammy'. Her doll would make that better, wouldn't it? The doll would make baby-Kairi happy, even if she hadn't been a baby for a few years now? Axel couldn't keep that from her. And like Tidus said – there was nowhere to keep it. It'd be found so fast. This was a part of Kairi… That meant she was less whole without it.

Slowly, Axel pushed the doll into the bucket of water, felt the trickles at his elbows worm their way down the insides of the gloves, to gather at his fingertips. He held it under for longer than it would take a human being to drown, then pulled it up and softly rubbed away whatever the black-lights showed to be an aberration. Trailing droplets, the doll was placed into one of the mesh frames, soon followed by the other various bits and pieces, to be inserted, written into the system and his sister's memories.

Even things that belonged to them equally – all went in to her. They would be dried properly later, by Rinoa's group. Until then, they dripped, through the mesh, through the thicker steel grating, glowing black, purple, a dark rainbow of bruise. Axel watched pieces of his own life, memories that floated up on contact, be piled away to be digitised. It was fitting, really – everything that mattered was being steadily filed away into that static environment, that – peace. It was hard to keep the bitterness at bay.

At last, when the boy's heart and soul had been suitably beaten over the course of three and a half hours, Vexen called a halt to the proceedings. The ultra-violet lights remaining on, the collective quickly finished the last of their piles, the buckets, water level distinctly lower, half of it running under their shoes, rubber soles squeaking over the shining, rust-proof grid, carried back over to their starting positions. There was a flock to the trough, gloves unpeeled from forearms, skin tasting air again. The faucets ran almost non-stop, as pair after pair of hands was thrust under the warm flow, whatever amount of chemical that may have touched them sluiced away. Axel waited, not patient, not impatient – distant enough from the proceedings to not really care what was happening, one way or another. He watched his hands wash each other in the same detached manner that he'd watch a TV program he wasn't much interested in – back when he had actually had a TV, a working one, that is. The junker he and Demyx had salvaged refused to turn on. No – the world was dulled.

He trailed after the others with slack, bovine sedation, operating on auto-pilot, not noticing the concerned glances Tidus was sending his way. The group trooped back upstairs, muscles warm and well-worked, led by Selphie, who paused at the top. The lights of the staircase were still dim, an adjuster control beside the door. She leaned against the wall and slowly fiddled with the knob, the knot of youths starting a slow chatter as their eyes grew accustomed to steadily brighter light. Rikku poked Axel's arm. "Hey, kid, you okay?" she asked curiously. "You haven't said a word in ages. What'd you do, clean someone's snuff collection?"

Trust Rikku to find a way to bring a guy back to the land of the living, without even using any of her fabled womanly charms. Axel stared at her. Taking this as a sign to elaborate, she flipped some hair over her shoulder, eyes earnestly wide, and revealed, "There's some weird stuff floating around, right? I mean, we've all had something that makes you want to scrub your brain afterwards, and this _one _time I got this _whole _set of – "

"Wait." Tidus, listening in, lifted a hand. "Rikku, we, uh, don't want to know. Axel's just tired – he didn't eat breakfast."

The blonde snorted, beads clicking at the motion. "Who _did? _I swear, that Xigbar's trying to kill us off." She appeared disappointed. "But can't I tell you what I found, anyway?"

"Uh, we'll be fine, thanks." Tidus patted her shoulder, took hold of Axel's thin ones and steered him through the crowd. Selphie, seeing them coming, a look of regretful understanding touching her features, chose that moment to open the door and release them all. The crowd surged forward, emerging into the hallway, which had seemed shadowy before, almost bright after having spent several hours in darkness.

As was their custom, the group began to split up, the next hour their own in which to spend in whatever sun was showing in these winter months. The snow had come early this year, making the natural rays harder to come by. They were halted, however, but Selphie's indignant, "Hey!" Eyebrows raised, hands on hips, the flip-haired brunette waited patiently as they all paused mid-stride, turning to face her blankly. She seemed expectant, then let out a, "Tch!" Eyes rolled. "Haven't you forgotten something? Something – _surprising?"_

Another moment passed, silent, before Rikku suddenly yelped, "The surprise!"

"_Yes, the surprise!" _Selphie bawled, a grin breaking out. "What – you guys aren't even curious?" They returned to her, Axel on the outskirts. He'd forgotten this – kind of wished Selphie had, too. Tidus was right, in a way – he was so tired now. He felt drained. Selphie stood in the middle of their circle of interest, back into full-blown smug mode, hands clutching together at her chest. Her wide brown eyes took them in, one at a time, glee dancing in their depths. "So – I guess the time has come to let you in on it, huh?" she teased. "After all, we _did _say, 'work hard', and you pretty much did the same as always – so much better than Rinoa's group, I swear – which means you've all earned a one-way ticket!"

"To?" someone asked, a hint of scepticism in their tone. Selphie winked, managing to somehow encompass them all in the gesture.

"I'll tell you – once you're dressed. Go forth, my children!" She thrust out an arm, pointing sharply down the passage. "Go get into something warm – outdoorsy warm – and meet me at the wood-chopping yard. You have ten minutes, _go!" _She promptly turned her back on them, refusing to answer any further queries. Exchanging glances, shrugging, the group splintered, moving to follow her instructions. Axel left Tidus at his room, continuing on to his and Dem's, pushing the heavy door open to an empty space. It was dark, cold, their messy beds unmade, clothing strewn across the floor, three bottles of water rolling around beside the blond's mattress in varying stages of emptiness. The redhead crossed to the dresser and, not knowing what to expect, dressed in his dump-site clothing – thick _everything, _hair tightly re-bound, fingerless gloves, the switch-blade he'd once found tucked deep into his boot. The heavy, brown, hairy coat went over the top, itchy but sealing, fending off the cold in almost all its incarnations.

Thick-bodied, wondering if he should wait for Demyx, Axel sat for a moment on his bed, hands between knees, a frown settling over his face. He sucked in a breath, let it go slowly. He wasn't really in the mood for a surprise, but at the same time, he didn't feel like missing out, either. Fun was too hard to come by around here, and if Selphie was this pleased with herself – Rinoa, even, who was the more serious of the pair – it had to be something worth seeing. He just – he missed them. Roxas. Kairi. The days when – ugh.

It wasn't even worth thinking about. The boy shook himself, mouth forming a hard line, the expression ageing his features by several cold years. He needed to shake off this funk, reconnect with reality. He was in Hollow Bastion, after all – this _was _reality. Whatever had been, it was over. He'd dealt with this years ago. Time to go see what the damn surprise was.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Okay! Mental block is now long gone – you see why I dread MaH, as much as I love it? – and I tried something different and _didn't _torture this chapter out of my brain, which was a lovely change. I instead spent the time obsessing over Loveless :DDDDD There'll be a short break between this chapter and the next one, coz I'll be working on something else for something undisclosed with someone I'm not mentioning, coz we don't know quite the heck what we're doing yet (almost, though, right?!) But then NegZ'll be straight back on track, my luv-er-lies. Oh, also, I got rid of MySpace from my FFnet profile, coz it takes too long to load on my sloooow dialup, and I suck at keeping up with the comments and stuff. I am an advocate of dismembering troublesome things :D

--

CHAPTER THREE

Axel met up with Tidus en route to the courtyard the castle's inhabitants had transformed into their wood-storage area. Tidus, the circumference of his waist doubled by the several layers he'd donned, shot the redhead a sceptical look. "What do you think?" he asked, their footsteps lonesome, the blond having waited for his friend. Axel shrugged, heavy brown shoulders rising and falling with a shushing of fabric.

"I think it'd better be worth it," he absently replied. Tidus sighed, the pair of them passing the row of different-sized axes that were stored along the hallway leading up to the yard, kept out of reach of the damp. The gates were flung open, frigid air gusting into the castle carrying a scent of ice, a scattering of snowflakes spread along the floor. Bright sunlight reflected off of the thick white covering on the ground outside, bouncing glaringly into their eyes. Axel pulled out a pair of tinted goggles from one pocket, secured them snugly around his eyes, the strap clinging to his head, determined to, if nothing else, be fully prepared for whatever awaited them.

Selphie was waiting in the middle of the yard, in amongst the piles of snow, dressed thickly. Rinoa stood patiently beside her, a small smile in place, her group already all gathered, Selphie's still straggling a little. The girl was obviously growing impatient, but after the oppression of the dark-room, her charges had become excitable and loud in the fresh air, the light heating their skin in direct contrast to the biting snap of the air. There were loud laughs on the wind, bright expectancy, shuffling and shoving, a brief snow-fight breaking out between a few of them, which Selphie bawled at them to cut out. She stomped over, pushed between the smearing, glaring at both parties. "Keep a lid on it," she warned, levelling a finger at each of them, before returning to her position a head below Rinoa. Evidently reaching the end of her tolerance, the brunette threw back her head and yelled, _"Right! Surprise time!" _

Effectively settling the masses, silence fell. Axel dug his hands into his pockets and sighed a little, eyes hidden behind the black lenses of his goggles. Tidus threw over a glance, mimicked the redhead's position, the pair of them ignoring Demyx and Sora, the two groups automatically keeping to their distinctions, eyes turning to their leaders. Selphie went back to looking hideously pleased with herself, making Axel idly wonder if Xigbar was hiding somewhere nearby, preparing to jump out and pretend to shoot them all. He could almost already hear Selphie's wild laughter at their terror – but, he had to admit, it was difficult to see Rinoa going along with something like that. Not to mention the highly unlikely possibility that Xigbar would ever agree to it… but it was hard to trust Selphie's sense of humour, sometimes.

"So, we figure we've strung you out long enough…"

"Not by half," Paine dryly commented, over in Rinoa's gathering. Selphie darted her a look, raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong, dear? Getting sick of waiting?"

It sounded… like a challenge. Axel and Tidus exchanged interested looks, then focused intently on Selphie, who was casually crouching down. Her mitten-clad hands swept through the snow, creating a sphere, far from perfect, but white and flaking, shining. Paine's eyes narrowed as the brunette straightened, holding the ball with an innocent smile in place. It was when Axel saw Rinoa echo Selphie's earlier smirk that he knew what they were in for…

Selphie wound up spectacularly, and let the snowball fly, point-blank range into Paine's face. It exploded, only messily put together, soft, flying apart on impact and leaving the girl blinking through flakes that clung to her eyelashes.

"That's right, children," said Selphie calmly, as they all turned to stare at her dumbly. "We're having a snowball fight." She grinned wickedly. "Surprised?"

There was silence. Rinoa explained, "You have exactly two minutes to reform your groups and build a rudimentary defence against invasion. After that, combat will begin, and kids – it's an all-in fight." Her gaze swept over them, mock-severe. "I don't want to hear about this person targeting that one, or someone sitting out – this is a _team effort. _No surrender!"

For a long moment, the staring continued. They weren't just _children, _they were _survivors of war. _They were little ancients; they drank coffee, they fixed furniture, they braved the mountains, the ravines, had seen death and survived it, they had sent their loved ones off to a stagnant existence they'd never be recovered from…

They were lonely, they were cold, inside and out, and they read the newspapers, ever in search of mention of a resurfacing of fighting, an outbreak, a signal to more bombs. Their nights were disturbed by subconscious memories, their days filled with an education that primed them for technological success. It had been… too long since they were young. Or – too long since Axel was. It was like approaching an old man scraping through life and offering him a pony ride, a free go on a carousel. He would gaze blankly at you, and wonder wearily what the hell horses mattered in the grand scheme of things.

Axel shook his head, considering leaving, turning and just silently slouching back in, going find something to eat maybe, a fire to play with. But then Paine snorted loudly, bent and made her own ammunition. She didn't throw it right away, stood there tossing it lazily up and down. "Our guys," she drawled. "Go build the freaking fort. The Glee Club over there is going down."

There was a bark of laughter from Rikku, who shoved to the front of the group, hands on hips. She tilted her head, smiled sweetly. "That's what you think? Huh, Boring Anon's?"

Paine's expression went flat, an eyebrow arching. "…Boring Anon's?"

Rikku sighed, flipped her hair, said airily, "We know you guys have meetings in the first basement every Sunday to share your woes of how freaking dull you all are."

Paine shook her head slowly. "Boring _Anon's." _The tone of her voice suggested disappointment. Rikku pouted.

"Well, you called _us _the _Glee Club." _

The taller girl rolled her eyes, demanded, "Are we doing this, or not?"

Again, there was a hovering moment in which the entire idea could fall flat, but – the gauntlet, it appeared, had been thrown. Rikku grabbed up a handful of snow, eyes narrowed and lips thinly smiling, and smeared it over her friend's face. Paine endured stoically, then, once the ice had fallen away, calmly said, "Okay, bitch, you're on." She turned sharply to Rinoa's charges, snapped, "What are you waiting for? _Move!" _

Rikku whooped loudly, a war-cry, leaping into the air. "Come on, guys, it's time to show those boring old sticks-in-the-mud _exactly what gleeful people can do!" _The gathered youths scattered abruptly, an air of confusion still threaded through most of them, but their directive clear – destroy the enemy.

Tidus smiled as they trotted to the opposite side of the yard, muttered to Axel, "So much for discouraging inter-group rivalries, huh?" As the redhead grunted, he turned, jogging backwards, cupped both hands to his mouth and yelled, _"Hey, Sora! Got some snow here with your name on it – and your imaginary friend's!" _Axel glanced back to see the momentarily panicked look on the small boy's face, before Paine stood behind the wall they were quickly building, calling back, "Pipe down, pipsqueak – we'll see whose butt gets snowed-in soon enough!"

Tidus spluttered indignantly to Axel, _"Pipsqueak?" _

"Well," the redhead replied off-handedly, "you _are _pretty goddamn short." He smiled half-heartedly at the blond's murderous look.

"Just remember, Axel – there's such a thing as friendly fire."

Selphie and Rinoa gave each other bemused grins, before splitting apart to join their armies. The flip-haired brunette called merrily over her shoulder, "Rinoa's group is Zanar-kand!" Instantly, a howl of protest erupted from the opposite side of the chopping yard, drowning out the girl's laughter as she skipped to help set up an impromptu snow-fort that would, all going well, preserve them for as long as possible.

Axel joined his group-mates, sinking slowly to the snow, activity in chaos around him as a fever infected them all, the whiteness being scooped, packed, compounded, shoved and crumbled. Rikku quickly took over as delegate, shouting orders all over the place, separating them into teams of builders and ammo-collectors, Paine similarly directing things over on the other end. The two minutes elapsed in a flurry, Selphie leaping all too soon to her feet to call a halt to the frantic fortifications.

Axel sat back on his heels, fingers tucking into his armpits to warm them in the heavy, hairy fabric of his coat, dubiously listening to the girl bellow out the rules. He shifted around, his back against the ice wall they had rapidly formed, folding his arms to protect his hands a little further, preserve some heat. Tidus hunched beside him on his haunches, eyes shining with anticipation. He looked over at Axel, said, "This is going to be fun, huh?"

The redhead grimaced, took a breath, gazed around at them all before responding. There was… an air of excitement about them all, something Axel hadn't seen in a while. A real, genuine pleasure, a sense of sudden freedom, as if some heavy, invisible shackles had been removed. Not that it was such a dark and gloomy place, not that they'd all completely lost their sense of youth – but suddenly, in this moment… maybe they weren't all as archaic as he first assumed. He smiled slightly, a slanted expression, shrugging. "I guess. I don't really do ice, though. You know me, burn 'em all and let God sort 'em out." Tidus whacked him upside the head.

"Show a little enthusiasm, flame-top."

"Sorry, pipsqueak, my mistake," he drawled back. Tidus grabbed him, tried shoving his head into the fort.

"_You guys!" _Rikku hissed, jamming a finger to her lips. "Save it for the others!"

So maybe it was kid stuff, a little immature or whatever for people of their experience, especially now that Axel was in his teens – but he didn't see any of the others complaining, and the ones that were the oldest seemed the most enthusiastic of all. Axel wanted to get a grip, right? Get back into reality, rather than leave his head swimming back in the dark-room, washing away yet more of his earlier life?

What better way to reconnect with the present than pounding the crap out of everyone in sight? Especially since the goody-two-shoes' had got to play with the welders… Punishment was called for.

Axel allowed himself to forget, for a while, that he had ever been in pain in the first place.

"_Go!" _

The air was thick with snowballs all of a sudden, most of them smashing against the forts, skilfully constructed by the hands of engineers-in-training. Rikku was a blaze of action, Axel finding his arms filled with a pile of snowballs and a screeched order to go on the offensive. Tidus was all but thrown over the wall after him, the pair thrust into the line of fire and instantly suffering for it. They jumped back over the fort, gasping at the ferocity of Paine's team's assault. It was like leaping from a pack of hyenas to a lion's den, though, Rikku lunging and all but wrestling them, along with several others, back over. This time, she joined them, not content with facing Paine from the general's chair, a feral grin in place as she lowered her head and powered across the yard, ignoring the sting of so many exploding white grenades. Followed by her selection of attackers, Axel and Tidus among them this time, the blonde gazelle-hopped over the icy ramparts of the Zanarkand defenses, erupting onto Paine's team like a flock of suicidal paratroopers dropping from the sky. Wild screams and yells echoed around the yard, hysterical laughter and shrieks at the cold.

And the rest, as they say, was history.

--

It was the shortest snowball battle in existence, after Rikku's kamikaze strategy, followed by a series of skirmishes that degenerated rapidly. The forts were stomped underfoot, crushed, bodies flinging all over the place, until at last they collapsed, exhausted and pleased. Wounds were tended to – someone had been packing rocks in their ammo, and Axel strongly suspected Larxene had had a hand in it – as heart rates decreased. Two hours had passed, and the redhead was glad he'd stuck around. Demyx was lying with his head on the boy's knee, damp and sleepy, as Axel carefully held some snow against the lump beside his right temple, a victim of a couple of the nastier scuffles. Tidus had disappeared to sit with Rikku and Paine, the three of them recounting some of the more glorious moments, while everyone else just basically recovered. It had been a long time since they'd expended themselves so thoroughly on something so enjoyable.

Smiling gently, Selphie and Rinoa at last resumed their places at the head of things. "So." Selphie looked around at them all with affection. "Did we or did we not tell you it was gonna be fun, right? You guys are awesome."

Rinoa took a breath, arms folding, shivering a little. Her fair skin had burning rosebuds at the cheeks, the older teen thoroughly soaked. "I know everyone's cold right now," she said softly, teeth chattering a little between words, "and we'll head inside in a minute, guys – but we've got something to talk to you about first. DiZ has asked us to… he felt you'd identify better with us." She smiled down at their confusion, a hint of worry underlaying her expression. "So, first of all, is everyone here? No one's already snuck inside?"

There was a brief check, before Tidus said, "Sora." All eyes swivelled to look at him, the blond frowning slightly as he searched the crowd of sitting youths. "Sora's not here."

Rinoa's eyebrows lowered as she quickly scanned them, saw that he was correct. "All right – who knows where he went? Did anyone see him leave? We really can't go on until _everyone _is present."

"Why?" Axel asked, suddenly wary. His fingers plucked at the strands of Demyx's hair. "What's the big deal? I thought this was meant to be because we're such hard workers, etcetera."

"It is," Selphie interjected, sounding faintly defensive. "But – "

"But it's also a pretext – right? Softening us up?" His voice was hardening, green eyes taking on a piercing quality. "What, they've decided we're not necessary, after all?"

"That's enough," Rinoa said sharply, drawing the boy's attention away from Selphie, who was trying to find a breath to respond, frustration written in her features. The others were growing agitated by his words, starting to shift uneasily. She addressed them, saying, "It's nothing like that, you're all completely welcome and needed in the castle. You're here for as long as you want to be, and that's not changing. Not by DiZ's decision, anyway." She scowled at Axel. "So stop stirring trouble." She raised her chin, repeated, "However, like I said, we can't go on without Sora, this is something everyone needs to hear all at once. It's nothing disastrous, so don't worry – can I get a volunteer to go look for him?"

"Yo." Tidus threw up a hand, struggled to his feet, brushing away the snow. Sheepishly, he explained, "I was teasing him about getting his imaginary friend again. I think I must have upset him."

Paine slapped the back of his leg sharply, muttering, "Asshole, he's just a kid." The blond shrugged.

"I'll find him. He's probably in the library or something." He jogged off, shoes scrunching over the snow, the wet slap as they hit the hard ground receding as he disappeared, was swallowed by the long hallway. Time passed, muttering breaking out among the masses, nervous, edgy wonderings which both Selphie and Rinoa pretended to be deaf to. It got colder, shivering breaking out, clothes growing damper despite the sun shining down on them. It was only meant to take a couple of minutes, but after about fifteen, Selphie ordered them all back inside, to go change and dry off, climb into bed for a few minutes to heat up, then meet again in the dining hall. They were all going to freeze if they stayed out any longer.

Wearily, they trudged indoors, Axel and Demyx breaking off to enter their room, rapidly stripping off the wet fabric, snow having managed to find its way through every major and minor defence they had dressed for, and exchanging it for dryness. As they sometimes did on the particularly cold nights, the two clambered into the same bed, sharing body heat, waiting for the chattering to subside. "I wonder where the kid got to," Demyx murmured, eyelids slipping shut. "He made me just about… freeze my ass off out there…"

Axel poked him sharply in the ribs. "Don't fall asleep, we only have a couple minutes, and I want to know what the hell is going on." He was tense beside the relaxed blond, wondering how Dem could even _think _of dozing off with a time-bomb like this ticking away. He despised the change from normal routine, hated violently the uncertainties it gave rise to. As long as every day existed unimpeded by change, it meant that he was safe, he and Demyx wouldn't have to leave, everything would continue as it always had done, ever since the war killed their previous lives and threw them into this new incarnation of themselves, parentless and alone. _This insecurity was not okay. _

Axel couldn't lie still anymore, not for the few minutes that they had, not even to keep his friend warm. He thrust away the blanket, clambered off the mattress, leaving Demyx whining as he quickly shoved on his old boots, the toes tight and the soles thin, and laced them up. "I'll see you there," he briskly said, leaving the room before the blond could even offer to accompany. Every bit of good the impromptu childishness had provided was swept cleanly away, leaving behind the hard ice beneath the cheerful, ephemeral snow. It wasn't even given time to melt.

The redhead stalked through the halls, face a dull, hooded blank, while beneath it all, a frantic churning took place. There was no reason for them to get rid of the castle's younger inhabitants, Rinoa had even tried to assuage that particular fear – but Axel had sensed whatever undercurrent was stirring beneath her words, and hated her for it. He hated her with sudden fire, both she and Selphie. Darkness threaded his veins, as his thoughts flew ahead of him, the one thing prevalent in his mind being: who would watch over his sister and Roxas if he was gone?

Luxord appeared, walking quickly from down an intersecting hallway, stopping sharply at the sight of the boy. "Axel!" The redhead regarded him sullenly, anger hinting in his gaze. Luxord either didn't notice or ignored, demanding, "Have you seen Sora around?"

"…Tidus was looking for him," the boy grunted, hands digging deep into pockets. The blond man shook his head impatiently.

"He's not the only bloody one – we can't find him, and we _must." _

Axel scowled. "He's around somewhere – what's the panic? He hasn't even been gone long."

"That's not the point," the man snapped, startling the redhead into frowning, paying attention. Luxord was… agitated. "We've checked all over the place, and he can't be found. Maybe that doesn't seem like much to you, but an undersized, ridiculously naïve ten-year-old boy is currently somewhere out of our legal care as far as we know, doing God only knows what, open to all different dangers, and if Child Services find out, it'll be a bloody strike against our record." He reached out, grabbed the boy's sleeve. "You – you're now part of the search party. You know all the little hidey-holes around this dump, go search _all _of them."

"Ch-Child Services?" He stuttered as he was flung around, Luxord marching him down the corridor with a firm grip on his collar. "But wait… _Wait!" _He pushed at the man, wrenched angrily free, smoothing himself down. "I'm not interested! Sora will turn up without my help – I don't want to miss what Selphie and Rinoa have to say."

Luxord sighed sharply, fingers rising to press against his forehead. "Axel, Selphie and Rinoa are in charge of letting you all know that Zanarkand is sending their best agents from Child Services to see that we're treating you all properly." His face turned grim, pale blue eyes meeting bright green. "No, that's a lie – they're sending them to try and undermine DiZ. It's – it's _vital _that everything appears normal and healthy here, do you understand? They want to take you all away, put you into foster care, and prosecute DiZ if possible for criminal neglect, or the next best thing they can conjure."

The redhead was struck dumb. He recalled Xigbar's little threat earlier in the day, about 'kiddie services'… He hadn't even paid attention to those words. It had never been an issue. Hollow Bastion had been left to take care of Hollow Bastion – why would Zanarkand be interfering after nearly five years? Why were they trying to… _undermine_ DiZ?

"Please," Luxord asked quietly, "help us find Sora. It really is imperative."

Axel met his gaze with an edge. "When are they meant to be coming?"

The blond was silent for a several beats. "They're already in Hollow Bastion. They'll be at the castle tomorrow."

"_Shit." _

"Indeed."

"He can't have got far," the boy muttered, glancing around as if expecting to see the brunet emerge from one of the hallway mouths. "Fine. I'll help. I'll go get Demyx, he's smaller than me, he'll be able to get into some of the tighter places." He shook his head with frustration. "But I don't think Sora even knows about half of them! What if he's not even in the castle?"

Luxrod sighed slowly, rubbing at one eye, looking abruptly exhausted. He wasn't old, Axel's senior by only about thirteen or fourteen years, but there was a world upon his shoulders, several, perhaps. He accidentally poked himself in the eye. "What a time to choose to pull a stunt like this," he murmured, rubbing at it. He shook his head. "If he's not in the castle – we extend, and hope we stumble across him outside the grounds." He smiled thinly. "It wouldn't be a fantastic start to our negotiations with Zanarkand, now, would it? A missing child? And one as fragile-looking and suggestible as _Sora, _for God's sake… I doubt they could have _staged _it better than this."

The clicking of high-heels appeared in their aural range, quick and deliberate, both males turning to see a woman come approaching. Her face was set grimly, a white laboratory coat identical to Vexen's covering her clothing, one of the long sleeves hanging empty by her side. Axel's eyes narrowed. She was someone that was glimpsed even more infrequently than DiZ. He'd never heard her speak, had only ever seen her in passing, a flash of movement down a corridor where the apprentices of the castle didn't tend to go. He barely even remembered that – she didn't exist to him.

She reached them, halted, didn't even glance at Axel as she announced to Luxord, "We don't think he's in the castle anymore. He's nowhere. DiZ wants everyone in on the search, but for it to stay low-key – the last thing we want is to hand this over to Zanarkand with an invitation to crucify."

Luxord nodded. "Fine – but before it spreads so far, let Axel and Demyx try the bolt-holes. They know the castle's secrets better than anyone else." He placed a hand on Axel's shoulder in indication. The woman paused, finally looked at the red-haired teen. One of her eyes was shut – he had thought it was just some kind of permanent wink or something, but… the lid was slack, sealed. That particular eye was missing, and the boy could only wonder if this was what Xigbar looked like, underneath his eye-patch. This woman took no such liberties, having no qualms with displaying the loss.

"Is that so?" she speculated. She turned her gaze briefly back to Luxord, single eye flashing behind round glasses. "Let's hope you mean that only in the hide-and-go-seek sense." She gave Axel her attention, extended a slender hand efficiently. The disturbance that the motion caused to her coat showed the boy a glimpse of metal where her other arm should have been, the one not filling the sleeve. "Shalua Rui. I have a sister in DiZ's Twilight Town, so we're the same in that respect." Axel blinked dazedly, shook automatically as she continued, "Please, do your best to find the missing boy. We're all in this together – if Zanarkand succeeds, then we'll all go _down _together, and who knows what will happen to the simulation." She released him, said to Luxord, "I'll go tell Xigbar, then I'll be returning to the mainframe. Yesterday's glitch is still acting up. We need to crush it." She nodded to Axel, looked him briefly up and down. "Good luck on the bolt-holes."

Her heels started clicking again, her pace swift and sure, and just as quickly as she arrived, she was suddenly gone, the sound fading away.

It was mid-afternoon by this point, the sun's descent already begun, the sky overhead turning slowly grey with clouds that promised foul weather and ice. The temperature within the castle continued to drop, fires left untended as gradually, bit by bit, one person after another fell into the hunt for one little brown-haired boy that had disappeared. Demyx and Axel performed their own search, scouring the castle from top to bottom, all the various places they had once crushed themselves into, out of sight, back before they'd started growing. Luxord tagged along for the most part, twitchy and nervous, setting Axel's teeth on edge.

So – the threat wasn't internal, at least. He wasn't – _they _weren't – being betrayed, hadn't outlived their use. But there was someone coming in to try and shake things up, never minding what the hell kind of effect it had on those in question except that it would end up with the perpetrators hopefully finding some dirt on _DiZ, _of all people. No wonder they had to attack through such channels as Child Services – the man was as straight as an arrow-toothpick-titanium-rod-up-ass hybrid.

In the end, the search was fruitless. Sora was nowhere to be found. Fear and concern had spread through the castle's inhabitants with each passing hour – it was now nightfall. The earth had frozen, and winds were beginning to whip. An outdoors search was scheduled, but only to involve the castle's seniors. It was too risky to get everyone out there, torches burning, in the darkness. Small whistles and groans sighed through the leaky edifice as the weather grew steadily worse, bringing a biting chill that _had _to be counteracted by fire, before they all ended up freezing in their beds.

Dinner was a silent affair, the food simple and hastily prepared, mostly by the youths themselves. Rinoa and Selphie had quietly taken charge, then passed their duties onto Rikku and Paine as they prepared to join the outside hunt. All dishes were cleaned, all voices were hushed. There wasn't a single one of them that could imagine where the boy would have gone on his own, or why. Why he wouldn't have come back, hours, and hours, and hours ago. Tidus had gone pale, the faintly twisted expression hovering over his face proof enough that he regretted the last words he's spoken to the boy, bitterly.

All any of them could do now was wait, as the heavy, sombre thud of adult boots filled the halls, voices murmuring, carrying the scent of kerosene as they prepared to light torches outside and scour the surrounding hillsides, holes and vegetation with flames jumping and hissing in the wind.

Xigbar appeared at the doorway of the dining hall, taking in the stillness, despite the fact that every youth within the castle was in attendance. He paused, scanned them for a moment. His voice, when he used it, almost bounced off the walls, it echoed so deeply in the silence. "Hey – this isn't a wake, kids. Don't worry. We'll get him back." He formed a fist, held it up, a raucous laugh ringing out. "Then we'll shoot the little shit full of holes for running off, right?" He tilted his head to the side, as every single set of eyes swung incredulously around. His lips pursed, he shrugged. "Or, you know, maybe not. Whatever." He shrugged again, saluted them. "Don't stay in here, you'll freeze or something. Go sit by the fires. See you soon." He left. They all left, the castle's halls falling complete... utterly… soundless.

Despite the cold, they all stayed where they were for a while. It felt better to be together, to clump, quiet fear opening up all the small insecurities that plagued, the frightening thoughts of death and abandonment. But at last, sigh audible, Paine got to her feet. "Since I'm partially in charge at the moment, I might as well abuse my position – it's getting late, guys. I'm not saying you all have to go to bed or anything, but we might as well do what the crazy-man said and shift to where it's warm, right? No point in staying like this." She was quiet for a couple of moments, before adding, "No one else is going to vanish while you're not looking. Just – find some buddies, and stick with them for a while. Anyone's welcome to come sit with Rikku and me. If you're going to go to bed, make sure to tell someone. No wandering off, you get me?"

A gradual trickle started up, led by the exit of Paine, Rikku hanging behind to convince any stragglers to either go get warm, or go sleep. They obviously took their roles as stand-ins for Rinoa and Selphie seriously. Larxene, sitting at the table with Axel, Demyx and Tidus, shot the boys a bored glance. "So, what, are we leaving, or staying? Personally, I wouldn't mind not freezing my tits off, there's no fire in this room." Demyx shook his head.

"Larxene, you're so – _crude." _

"I'm a fourteen-year-old girl surrounded by _you _bunch of dicks – I have the right to be crude." She drummed her fingers, announced, "Well, you can stay, but I'm going. I feel like walking around. Screw that little kid for running off, he was stupid."

Tidus frowned. "You can't go by yourself. You're a girl."

She stopped. She sneered. She threw the blond the most withering look he was ever likely to receive in his lifetime and said, "I have. More balls. Than you _ever _will."

Dryly, Tidus replied, unshaken, "I'm sure you do – it's a frightening thought." He sighed, rolled his eyes, added, "Sorry for caring. For a split-second there, I forgot who I was talking to."

"Just shut up," Axel broke in bluntly. His nails were slowly scraping the surface of the table. Demyx had observed, and already fallen silent, watching him worriedly. "Larxene, don't be a bitch – don't call Sora stupid."

"He is," she replied tartly, crossing her arms and eyeing him archly. "He's put the whole damn castle in an uproar, and for what? Because Tidus joked that he'd get his imaginary freaking friend? He's ten, not two. It's time he started acting like it." She shrugged, pushed back from the table, chair-legs grinding. "He wouldn't get teased like he does if he stopped acting like his head's always in the fucking clouds."

Tidus' mouth went thin. "That's not why I – I just…" He gusted a sigh, got to his feet. "I didn't mean to make him run off," he said quietly, and suddenly, Larxene stopped talking. She even had the grace to look – not shamed, exactly, but slightly less acerbic than before. Axel wasn't sure she had the capacity for such a thing as _actual _guilt – both shoulders were occupied by devils, in his opinion. The angel of her conscience had pretty much taken flight with the war, from what he'd heard. Something about her having lost someone important – but he didn't see the _rest _of the world getting bitchy overnight.

Tidus shook his head, said, "I think I'll just… go to bed, you guys. Maybe Sora will turn up during the night, and come to our room."

Axel and Demyx nodded, the redhead saying, "Me and Dem'll head for the fires. If you can't sleep, you know where to find us." They left the dining hall, parted quietly, Larxene disappearing down a corridor by herself. The boys watched her back for a moment, before turning the other way, tramping through the halls towards the heat. Tidus peeled off with a disheartened flip of the hand, a grunt, and the remaining blond and redhead continued on. Demyx sighed in the quiet, shook his head. "I feel so bad," he said softly. "Sora could be anywhere… I hope he doesn't run into any soldiers or anything." Axel scowled.

"Assholes'd bring him back, at least. After bullying him." He sighed. "But then, they'd probably tell the people coming from Zanarkand…"

The blond's head whipped around. "People from Zanarkand? What?"

Axel fell silent, tucking his hands into his sleeves. His footsteps rang out dully. "They're going to talk to us about it. Once we find Sora." He gave the boy a thin smile. "It'll be okay. We can handle it."

They found the library mostly full, the instinct to keep together still evident as the chairs and ground were littered with bodies in various reclining or sitting states. A few people paced the stacks, running fingers over books, but for the most part, everyone just stayed by the fire and gazed blankly into space. Their weariness was powerful, but the fear for Sora was more so. This sort of thing… hadn't happened before. People didn't just vanish in the castle – there was always somewhere they turned out to have squirreled themselves away. And you didn't just randomly head down to the city, either, not with the soldiers haunting every entrance. And not _Sora. _Sora was the good kid of the castle, as much as Larxene was the resident bitch everyone more or less tolerated. He got picked on a little, for being small, innocent, for believing in almost anything you could dream up, but he was popular in his own way for being so damn nice all the time, playful and caring. He wasn't the type to just vanish and never resurface. His absence was… emptying.

Axel found a chair towards the back, climbed into it to watch the flames crackle at a distance, Demyx crawling over the back of the high back and dangling there. He thought of the adults out there now, searching, calling, grim and tense. He wondered where on earth the brunet had got to, wondered if he was frightened by the darkness, if he was slowly, surely, freezing to death. His head tipped back with a sigh, and the hush of the library continued unscathed.

Until Tidus turned up, his voice hoarse and shouting, heard from a distance, growing rapidly closer. Bodies straightened, stiffened, heads turning abruptly, confusion rising sharply. His tone was – _furious. _Axel's eyebrows lowered, a moment before the blond burst into the room, dragging no other than… Sora.

The boy was flung to the ground in front of them all, letting out a cry as his hands and knees hit the floor, tears already dropping from his large blue eyes. "Sora!"

"_What_ are you doing?" Paine demanded of the blond, on her feet in an instant, Rikku beside her. "Where was he?"

"_He was in there the whole time!" _Tidus bellowed, wild eyes never leaving the brunet, who had begun to pitifully weep. _"Hours! He was sleeping!" _

Rikku asked, bewildered, "But didn't you already search there to begin with? How could you _not _check your _room?"_

"I did," Tidus snarled in response, burning gaze rising, his previous fear and guilt absolute magma now that he realised it had all been for nothing. "And he wasn't _there. _He wasn't _anywhere. _He _had_ left the castle, but then he snuck – back – _in." _

All eyes were on the sniffling figure on the floor now, disbelief working its way through each face. "Sora." Paine was struggling to keep her voice steady, non-threatening. "Is this true? The whole castle has been looking for you – where have you been?"

The boy sniffed pathetically, and, in a small voice, said, "Tidus was – he was going to get… my friend. I had to… tell him to hide. I had to _hide _him."

The short-haired girl eyed him. "Your imaginary friend?"

Sora lifted his head, wailed, _"Magical!"_

"I don't believe this," Paine muttered. She looked at Rikku, who shrugged helplessly, then the rest of the room, all of which simply stared, dumbfounded. No one seemed to know what to do. She turned her gaze to Tidus, said, "Get him back to bed, he stays there til the others get back. I'm going to go see if I can find them before they any further away." She levelled a finger at Sora. "If you ever, _ever _pull a stunt like this again…" She didn't finish the sentence. Axel wondered if she even knew how. She left in disgust. They all did, and Sora was dragged, wiping his eyes and mewling, back to the room he shared with Tidus.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hmm. Part of me doesn't want to post this yet, as it's not the full ten-pages I generally like to do – but if I continue, it'd simply be to achieve ten pages. Not great for the story to get too bogged down in numbers, right? So, posting. It's good – I'm becoming less hung-up on updating to a strict schedule, which is freeing my mind up a lot more. I kind of wish there was another chapter due for this, though, since these last two have been leading up to the next events… (Dude, it's an AN, not LJ – stop talking now).

--

CHAPTER FOUR

Morning came earlier than usual for the inhabitants of the castle set up on the farthest outreaches of the semi-destroyed town of Hollow Bastion. Those that had managed the several disturbed hours they'd been granted were pulled rudely out of restless dreams before the sun was even considering the thought of rising; a long day was ahead of them all.

Axel, who had barely closed his eyes in the first place, hurried to pull his clothes on, tugging at his stiff boots, dry now after several hours on one of the many hearths. He sat at the end of Demyx's mattress, the blond buried under layers of blanket, either deliberately ignoring the bouncing of Axel's motions or so exhausted from the previous day's activities that he really was sleeping that deeply. The redhead, unwilling to leave him to his much-needed rest, grabbed a leg through the thick material and shook roughly. Demyx whined, burrowed deeper. He climbed up onto the bed, scaled along his friend's body, grabbed the top of the blankets and ripped them down, exposing a tired, blinking face with mashed hair. The blond scowled, clumsily pulled one hand out of its warm cocoon and raised his middle finger. "I'm sleeping," he groused. "You go now."

"Demyx, stop being an ass and get _up," _Axel replied sharply, glaring. "I'm not letting you get back to sleep – we have work to do, damn it, before Zanarkand gets here." He swung himself from the bed, crossed to his side of the room and grabbed up his gloves, stretching them over his palms, wiggling his fingers through the holes. "You're not allowed to be lazy today," he continued tightly. "Someone'll be along to get you up even if you stay there, so you might as well get up now and get it over with." He turned when Demyx made more protesting, sleepy noises, a hint of desperation entering his tone. "Dem, please. This isn't fun and games, okay? Do you _want _them to kick us out?"

The blond fell silent for several beats, before asking, "You're sure that's what Luxord meant last night? You really – think it could get that bad?"

Axel pressed his lips together, shrugging helplessly. "That's what it sounded like. I don't know for sure, Dem, but do you want to give them an excuse to have a bad first impression?" There was a knock at the door. The redhead shot a pointed look over at his bed-ridden friend, went to pull it open, exposing one green eye to the outsider. Selphie stood there, rugged up in her warmest clothing, arms crossed and chin trembling with shivers. The fires were still burning at full capacity, but the ice still crept through in these death-like early hours. She flashed him a bright, teeth-chattering grin, said, "Oh, good, you're up already! I'm impressed, Axel. Is Demyx the same?"

"Nearly," the boy replied quietly, staring at her. He pulled the door open a little further, asking, "How's Sora?"

Her mouth quirked downwards, brows lowering. "He's… upset. But he'll be fine, as long as he doesn't disappear on us again." She forced a thin smile. "Get Demyx ready, then the two of you hurry over for breakfast, okay? It's going to be real quick. We need to get going." The redhead nodded, shut the door again, turned to find Demyx already half-dressed, yawning widely as he struggled to balance, socks half-off his feet. Axel went to the end of the bed, grabbed up his thick coat and tossed it over. "Come on, I'm hungry. Didn't eat last night."

Demyx snorted, "I noticed, I wondered when you were gonna crack and actually need sustenance." He wrinkled his nose, swooped over to poke Axel in the padded side. "You're getting thin."

"I'm growing," the redhead testily replied, shrugging his own coat on. "Everything's stretching." The pair exited the room, joined the thin stream of others doing the same, everyone heading for the dining hall, expressions in varying states of tension, confusion and plain fatigue. The hall was filling steadily with faces looking like they'd been smacked with planks of wood, several of the elders of the castle taking care of the meal this time, instead of the customary roster. This in itself was enough to put everyone but Axel on edge – he'd already been that way since the second Rinoa said there was something serious to talk about. His nerves were like an overstrung violin, and drawing tighter all the time.

There was a slight separation in the hall when they arrived – being, Sora at one table, Tidus at a separate one, not looking at the kid. Axel eyed them off, assessing the situation. He threw a glance at Demyx, who was looking back, one eyebrow raised in question. The redhead grimaced. "Go sit with Tidus," he sighed. "I'll take Sora." The blond nodded, and the pair went to get their breakfast before splitting to sit one to each friend. Tidus sent a faintly irritated look Axel's way, but said nothing when he lowered himself at Sora's otherwise-empty table several feet away. He couldn't help but feel a stab of pity at the pathetic expression gracing the brunet's face. Sora was almost startled to see Axel sitting with him. He paused in his involved process of digging through the steaming oats without appetite, despite the fact that today they were actually edible, looked up and blinked large blue eyes at the sudden extra presence.

Axel met his gaze neutrally for a moment, before giving a small, quick smile, and starting to eat, not bothering to question the kid, whose face was still puffy from all the crying he'd done, no doubt when he'd got his ass royally chewed for making everyone worry for nothing. Sora sniffed a little, a miserable sound, and asked in a croaky voice, "How come you don't hate me?"

Axel rolled his eyes at the ten-year-old melodrama of it all. "Sora, _no one _hates you," he mumbled through a mouthful of oats, not willing to slow down for conversation, stomach demanding ever more to make up for the almost twenty-four-hour space since he'd last consumed anything. "Everyone's _pissed _at you, but no one's hating you yet."

The boy sighed heavily, held his head up with one hand, gazing down in misery at his untouched breakfast. "Tidus – "

"Forget him," the redhead interrupted. "He was blaming himself for sending you scurrying away to save your little magical friend."

Sora's gaze became watchful all of a sudden, a frown tugging at the unhappy curve of his lips. "He's real, you know," he said softly, making Axel glance up. "My friend."

The older boy chewed for a few moments, studying the brunet across the table. He swallowed. "I know what it's like to want someone around… Does this friend of yours – kind of look like that Riku kid you lost?"

Sora started glowering, mouth opening to answer, but before he could he was interrupted, the adults assembling at the head of the room, drawing the attention of the diners. Neither DiZ nor the mysterious Shalua Rui were in attendance, but Luxord, Xigbar, Vexen, Rinoa, and Selphie had gathered, plus a common visitor to the castle, a short, lithe girl with dark hair and eyes, the cast of her features suggesting Wutai heritage, though she had yet to confirm this whenever anyone asked. Luxord, leaning against the wall, gestured to Vexen to take the floor, the man clearing his throat and drawing a breath. Axel clamped down on absolutely every instinct that screamed to shout, _"Choke!" _at the man, known to be fearful of public attention. Throwing a glance over at Demyx, he saw the blond suffering similarly, the ocean-green eyes catching his for a moment. They stared briefly, then quickly glanced away, biting down on smirks that could, with proper provocation, become waves of hysterical giggles.

Vexen folded his hands behind his back, began speaking: "I come on DiZ's behalf to address something important to the castle's future. We would have let you know yesterday, but…" He trailed off, cold eyes flickering to Sora, who sank down as several others shot glares his way. Vexen cleared his throat again, continued, "The fact of the matter is that Zanarkand have sent officials from their Child Services division to check up on you all." A moment was allowed for this to sink in, Axel turning slowly to survey the reactions of those around him. Shock and surprise were prevalent, closely followed by wariness. "We expect clean, sensible behaviour while they are here, and honesty when they inevitably begin to question you." He lifted his chin, resolve entering his features, stealing away some of the nervousness. "We have no reason to believe that they will find anything wrong with the way you have all been treated – it has been five years since you were brought to this castle, and for five years you have been fed and clothed, with no reason to fear from any of we few members of authority. Five years in the castle is preferable to five on the streets, I believe, as does DiZ." There was a brief pause, before he added softly, "However… loyalty is a wonderful thing. And perhaps there are some things… better left unsaid. No lies… but perhaps the occasional omission."

_Omission. _Axel shook his head slowly, a smile hovering over his lips. "You want us to keep quiet about the shit we pick up at the dump sites, right?" Larxene's voice soared above the silence. She was smirking, eyes rolling as Vexen glared. "Acid for batteries. Broken glass to be melted down. Copper wire pulled out of broken houses. Dangerous conditions. That sort of thing?" She drummed her fingers on the tabletop, smug at having the entire hall's full attention. "Five years of sending us innocent little kids into little holes, pulling our apple carts up and down the mountain." She lifted a hand, inspecting her nails with casual ease, eyebrows lifting, mouth curved upwards. "Better hope none of the gate-soldiers ever got a good look at it all. You just _know _they're gonna ask them." She flattened her hand on the table, looked directly at Vexen, asked, "How many?"

He was caught between outrage and being flustered. "I beg your pardon?!"

Larxene tilted her head from side to side with each word, "How. Many. Zanarkand. Are. Coming?"

Vexen stared. Luxord answered, "Two, that we know of. Possibly more, if they're trying to catch us off guard, but two is a good number – not so many as to seem like an attack, but better than a single solitary one."

The blonde girl snorted. "So what the hell are we worried about, then? Two people? Screw 'em." She stretched her hands over her head, rocking back on the legs of her chair. "I, for one, am not going to co-operate with them. They're Zanarkand." Her voice turned cold. "If they think they can come to us after all this time, and play games of 'Oh, you poor child, tell us what you've suffered'…" She stopped rocking, shrugged, said, "They can go fuck themselves, for all I care. They're not on my side."

Several beats of quiet passed, before Luxord nodded, smiled, murmured, "Hear, hear."

Vexen, unhappy at having the wind taken from his precariously-filled sails, attempted to get the speech back on track. "…Hopefully – this is a sentiment you all share. Thank you, Larxene." She gave a cocky nod, but her expression kept hold of a trace of the hardness. "What we need now from you… is full co-operation," the man continued, nodding as if to affirm this to himself. "Full co-operation – there is little preparation, we believe, to be done, but – you will be divided under your group leaders and spend the next several hours quickly – cleaning things that need cleaning."

"Covering things that need covering," the brunette Wutai-looking girl added brightly. She waved sharply with one hand, said, "Hey guys, Yuffie's back again, as you can see." She gestured down at herself, hips cocking to one side. "I'm the one that so kindly came up with the info on the upcoming Zanarkand presence – they got in safely just last night, stayed in the one remaining inn – and I'm here to uh, _lend my expertise." _She winked, traces of amusement rising among the gathered. Yuffie was well-known throughout the castle as a prime source of information regarding rich veins of resource in among the ruins and the outside world, as well as supplying the castle with a generous portion of their more… _hard to obtain _materials. These, among other things, would most certainly need to be disguised if Zanarkand was coming for a visit, Child Services or not. She was the perfect person for the job.

"Yuffie'll be taking a section of you as her own group," Xigbar grunted, leaning next to Luxord and picking at his teeth with a thumbnail. "Those are the guys that'll be taking care of our more 'delicate' stuff. We haven't got a whole heap of hours, little dudes, so do your fastest, yeah?"

Vexen nodded at this, said, "Break into your groups – your leaders will divide you accordingly for Yuffie's benefit. I hope…" His sentence hung in the air for a moment, gaze sweeping through them slowly. "…that we have an understanding. Remember, those of you that remain now are here of your own free will, and, after all – you all have loved ones to think of."

Goosebumps broke out across Axel's skin, the boy shivering slightly at the parting shot. It hadn't been meant as a threat, as anything sinister, Vexen was on their side after all – but it felt like he'd dragged his nails down a chalkboard, pointed knives at all their throats collectively. He could tell, by the sudden stillness of the room, that he wasn't the only one to sense it. Vexen looked satisfied at this little jolt of icy reality, and relinquished the floor to Rinoa and Selphie, allowing the girls to round up their groups. Following directions numbly, Axel found himself with Demyx and Sora under Yuffie's tutelage.

"These guys won't have a leg to stand on," the girl was breezily saying to Rinoa. "There are older people like you two around, you're all going through traineeships, everyone that wanted to leave did so when the war ended last year." She frowned slightly at this, tapping a finger again her lips. As her new charges gathered around her, waiting for orders, she wondered, "Why are they suddenly paying attention to you all _now? _Is it just because the war's done with – they finally have the spare time and resources to come visiting little old neutral-territory HB?"

"Luxord says they're trying to undermine DiZ," Axel said steadily, earning several startled looks from the others, but Yuffie merely nodded.

"Sounds right. But… what've they got to gain from it? That's what I want to know."

Axel paused, thought about it, blinked. "I… don't know." He met her gaze with new awareness, confusion, shook his head. "I don't know." He scowled. "I don't _know. _Why _are _they trying to undermine DiZ? What – bombing the shit out of us, ruining our lives – that wasn't enough? They want to take our whole city by getting rid of the only fucking political head that we've got?"

People were staring. Demyx's hand had snuck up to clasp his shoulder, but the redhead didn't feel its warmth or weight. His head was whirling, body calm despite the apparent show of rage, thoughts whipping with frustration. There wasn't a single reason he could think of – not one! _What the hell were they thinking? _"I hate them," he stated quietly. "I hate them for making things so uncertain, and for no reason we can even _guess at." _With nothing else to do, he kicked a toe at the ground in anger. Demyx hugged him briefly, hanging awkwardly from his frame as Axel made no move to reciprocate. "It'll be okay," he said earnestly. "We won't give them an excuse – right?" He smiled around triumphantly at the others. "If they can't find anything to use against DiZ, then it's a trip wasted. We'll be fine. DiZ'll be fine. Twilight Town'll be fine." He squeezed the unresponsive redhead. "And that ends up being a whole heap of fine!" More softly, he added, "Right?"

Axel shrugged him off, reminded of how the blond depended on him. Demyx needed him – Roxas needed him. His sister needed him. He nodded. "Right."

--

Halfway through preparations, the three groups working rapidly, with determination, visitors came to the castle. One of the broad doors was pushed open, to allow three fair-haired waifs through, their bodies narrow from the after-effects of war, two guys and a girl. They stopped upon entering, and blinked at the circus of activity going on around them. The main hall, with its sweeping staircases and various doorways leading to sections of the castle, was a hub of logistics. Normally, it was a quiet area, with people mostly where they wanted to be by this time of the morning – but right now, it was chaos. Groups had been split into groups, singles and couples going here and there, new movement entering with virtually every minute that passed. Despite the agitated energy pouring through the air, everyone was calm, they were orderly, but to enter out of the still, cold morning and into what appeared to be a madhouse of commotion was a shock to the visitors.

They were noticed after a full minute of standing and gaping, Yuffie's sharp eyes coming to rest on them. She jogged over, demanded, "What do you three want? We're kind of busy right now."

The taller of them closed his mouth, blinked his pale eyes at her, obviously struggling with his bewilderment. "What… happened? Did somebody die?" Worry entered his features. "DiZ – is DiZ okay?"

She waved an impatient hand. "DiZ is fine, he's fine, they've got some Zanarkand officials coming today – in about two hours, actually – and, well…" She twisted, hands on hips, to survey the bustle. "We're – doing some housekeeping before that happens."

The shorter male barked out a laugh. "Housekeeping, right. Where's Axel? I wanna help."

"Me, too," the girl quickly added.

The older of them gazed intently at the brunette. "I need to see DiZ for a while. I've got some information he might like."

"Don't ask me! I'm just a delivery girl." Yuffie jumped around on the spot, strode back into the stream of traffic, calling, "But all help is welcome – make yourselves at home!"

The three looked at each other, tension and confusion creasing their faces. The taller boy shook his head. "I'm going to go look for DiZ, guys. Find Axel and get going." He scowled. "We can't let Zanarkand do anything to them, understand? It's our duty to help protect the castle."

The other two nodded solemnly, took off in search of a flame-red ponytail jutting obnoxiously out from the crowd. "Vaan, slow down," the girl panted, snaring a handful of his shirt to either tug him back or keep herself anchored to his speed. He shrugged at her irritably.

"Get off, Penelo. We have to find Axel and start working. You don't want Zanarkand to find anything bad, right? We've seen enough dump-sites to know the sort of stuff they've got packed around here." She shortened her steps, tugging at him.

"I know, I know – but I can't keep up! Can't we just ask someone? Zanarkand's not going to be here for a little while, yet, that's what Yuffie said – right?"

"Vaan!" The pair immediately brightened, heads swinging around to see Axel heading their way, Demyx trotting close behind. The redhead grabbed the blond's elbow, dragged him along with him. "You heard? You're here to help?" he demanded. The boy and girl both nodded, Penelo falling into step alongside Demyx. "You're part of Yuffie's group then. Right now, we're transporting the chemicals from the dark-room into the third cellar."

Vaan lifted an eyebrow. "…With the food supplies?"

"Yes, with the food supplies," the redhead snapped, steering him forcefully around a clump of Rinoa's kids, who were armed with spider brooms, hurriedly sweeping at the thick cobwebs haunting the corners of the lower ceilings. "It's a good place to hide them, okay?"

Vaan's brows lifted, a small hiss of air escaping from between his teeth. "Oookay, then. Tense?" He received a withering look, was hurried down to the second basement, where Yuffie's group had a constant ant-trail of transportation going on. The girl herself was nowhere to be seen, Vaan recalling that the direction she'd headed for had been the cellar that they were stashing it all in. Down in the dark-room, small red-lights were burning at the corners of the large room, casting eerie shadows, making everyone's skin look burnt, darkness pooling in the hollows of their faces. Axel, his hair more violently-coloured than ever in this ambience, finally released his iron grip on Vaan's arm, jogging over to where the ever-so-slightly illegal substances had been gathered in the middle of the room.

"So, what's wrong with this stuff?" Penelo asked, reaching for one of the large containers, the off-white fluid within shifting back and forth. Demyx and Axel snorted in unison, exchanging glances.

"Aside from the fact it's potent enough to burn your eyeballs practically from your skull?" Penelo jumped a little, shooting the container a frightened look. Axel waved a hand, grabbed one and hefted it up. "Nah, just screwing with you. A little. It's poisonous, toxic fumes, corrosive enough to gives some pretty severe burns in its undiluted form – and we deal with it on a regular basis. We're even the ones that dilute it, half the time. So, yeah – not great."

"Into the food-store it goes!" Vaan said, sarcastically cheerfully.

"And then there's the chemicals we use for showing up all the marks for the black-lights," Demyx chipped in. "But that's not so bad, especially coz we wear little masks over our noses and mouths, but… still…" He grabbed a crate of jiggling, clicking aerosols, handed it to Vaan, grabbed another one for himself, the last of them, hefting it comfortably into both arms. "What are you guys doing here, anyway?" he asked curiously, Axel heaving up another of the bottles into his other hand, the foursome heading for the stairs. Vaan shrugged, the crate swaying in his grasp.

"Reks found out some stuff for DiZ and came to let him know."

"Anything interesting?" Demyx wondered. Penelo tilted her head to the side.

"New dump-site. We've been working on the worst of the rubble, near the epicentre of the big bombing." Her brow creased. "A path has been opened up to the town hall."

Axel's step faltered, green eyes snapping around. "…The town… hall?"

Vaan and Penelo both nodded, a little subdued. "Yep," Vaan said quietly. "The one event that totally ripped our lives away, right? The bombing of the town hall…" His eyes grew distant, Penelo's head dropping a little.

"I was so lucky," she murmured. Demyx smiled sadly, bumped her a little.

"You sure were. Good thing your folks stayed home, huh? And it was nice of them to take in Vaan and Reks like that…"

Vaan explained, "Reks came to let you guys know first, before anyone from the town can go in and do some looting." He grew uncertain. "But if there're Zanarkand officials floating around…" He gestured helplessly with the crate of aerosols. "I mean, if you guys are going to lengths to hide this sort of stuff, it's not going to do you any good to go there while they're around. You'd be bringing it all straight back here in front of their noses."

They continued up the last several stone steps in silence, Axel's face sinking deeper and deeper into some unnameable emotion the closer to the light they got. At last, as they reached the top, standing in the hallway, out of the reach of the red glow from below, looking like some version of Hell when one casually glanced down, he stopped. The other three looked at him, frowning.

"I'll go," he said tightly. When comprehension didn't dawn, he elucidated, "I'll go to the dump-site. I'll – I'll tell DiZ, right now if I have to. I don't want to miss this one."

Demyx shook his head sharply, minutely. "Axel, no… You can't…"

"Can't what?" the redhead replied flatly, fixing him with a hard look. The blond shifted uneasily, started walking to distract them, bringing attention back to the task at hand. "It's just…" He sounded agitated. "You can't just go rushing off. Zanarkand is coming. Child Services. You're the one that's been so hot about making sure nothing goes wrong – what, are you just going to run off five minutes before they arrive to go to a dump-site?" He turned his anxious gaze to the taller boy, who was gazing stonily ahead, eyes narrowed. The subject of Axel's old life had always been a sore point with the redhead, and to try and speak about their parents was asking for his anger and, if you persisted, a punch in the chest. There was nothing in him forgiving, nothing in him that had moved on from that night. Maybe if his entire world, including his best friend, hadn't been torn away from him, it would have been easier… but things just hadn't happened that way. Demyx had learned early on that there was no reasoning with him when it came to his family – and the dump-site had been opened to the place where it had all happened.

Demyx understood what Axel was suddenly intent about, he felt it, too – imagine, looking upon the site of where it all happened, the night that everything had gone so bad for Hollow Bastion, when nearly all of them had lost their parents – the prelude to losing everything else. There would be a sense of… closure, he supposed. But the look on Axel's face…

"Don't screw things up for us," Demyx said harshly, making the redhead blink, glancing over with a glimmer of confusion. The blond was glaring. "Don't be like Sora, Axel, you know what that did to us all."

"Sora?" Vaan echoed curiously. He was ignored.

"I'm not planning on just disappearing," Axel snapped back. "I told you I'd go to DiZ, didn't I? It'd be stupid to just go rushing in without any foreknowledge whatsoever of the terrain, which is _exactly _what Reks is telling him, _right now, _right? But if we don't send someone soon, _before _Zanarkand gets settled in – because we don't even know how long they'll _be _here, Dem – we might completely lose any opportunities it has to offer! Everyone else will get there first!"

"And would that be such a huge deal?" Demyx countered insistently. "So, we'd lose some resources – who cares? It's not like the town hall would have anything we need, it was just a building with a bunch of rooms and stuff! Anything electrical will have died!"

"_Goddamn it, Demyx!" _

They wrenched to a halt, both Vaan and Penelo stunned by the outburst, but Demyx looking stubborn, knowing it was coming, just like it always did when you challenged Axel about his parents. He was safe for the moment, since the redheads' hands were occupied by the massive bottles, but he was ready to start punching back if he needed to – besides which, the crate had a lot of nice corners for jabbing.

"I don't want to just leave it to the goddamn looters," Axel snarled. "Fucking vultures, picking over bones for scraps that they don't even need – _we need it! _There _are _things of value that can be taken, not the least of which would be finding some fucking _proof _as to who planted the explosives in the first place!" He glared viciously, demanded, "You really think that's worth just passing over? Anyone else that goes in there, they don't know how to treat a dump-site properly, they'll screw the whole fucking place _up!"_

"Do we really need proof anymore?" Demyx shot back, eyebrows rising. "It's over and done with, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Axel's fury was rising, eyes blazing, only a few more exchanges away from dumping the bottles and lunging for the blond's throat. "I don't know about you, Dem, but I'm still in the middle of a fucking _castle – _I don't call that 'over and done with'. It'll _never _be over and done with, for Christ's sake, not unless time magically reverses and we get everyone we lost _back!" _

Demyx glared. Axel glared. Vaan and Penelo hung back, and those in the immediate area had paused in their actions to watch. Yuffie came along with a scowl. "Hey, hey, what's the hold-up? What, you all figured it was time for a tea-break or something?" When neither of the boys turned to look at her, continuing what had become a silent staring competition, she paused, hands on hips, studied them curiously. "Well, what's all this then? Fighting in the schoolyard?" She reached out with a foot, hooked Axel's left leg out from under him, making him stumble, lose the little contest, much to his annoyance.

"Damn it, Yuffie," he snapped, the fire gone from his voice in favour of intense irritation. "I'm kind of holding dangerous chemicals here."

"Yes, right in the middle of the hall, I noticed," she replied archly. "You guys don't have time for this, or did you forget? Whatever's going on, deal with it later." She turned to the onlookers, screeched, "Get out of here, this isn't a prime-time movie!" They all scuttled back into motion, the ant-line resuming. She returned to the two boys, eyeing them. "Okay, you two, you already heard me – this is for after-hours, not peak-hour traffic, you get me? Nothing matters right now except for making sure the castle is safe, and your futures are secure here, right?"

Axel's head swivelled around, his gaze meeting hers, brows drawn down. For a long moment, he stared, Demyx still watching him, though a carefulness had entered his expression at Yuffie's words. Axel's mouth slowly, steadily, formed a scowl. "…I suppose it is," he muttered at last. "For now." He glanced around at the others, eyes resting for a moment on Penelo and Vaan. "But there's only so long that this window will last before everyone else decides to start attacking the site. And I _do _intend to be there before them." He thought briefly, said, "We need to finish up here. I need… to go talk to DiZ."

"_Axel…" _Demyx protested. The redhead shot him a sharp look.

"What?" he bit off. "I'll do my duty first, don't worry. And it won't be hard to keep anything out of view of the Zanarkand officials – what, are they going to be watching us every moment of the day? I don't think so. There'll be more than enough opportunity for me, if I get in fast enough." He re-hefted the containers of liquid, their insides heavy and sloshing, starting walking with purpose. "Once everything's done here – once I know our futures will be secure – that's when I'll start checking out the past."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Low energy is loooow. This fanfic writer has a date with mister needle (he's been eyeing me off for years now), so we can all gather round and marvel at my astoundingly low iron levels. Hurray! This is why I've sucked more recently at replies and shitty writing and whatnot – it's insane how permanently exhausted I am, around the clock, so be patient with me if I'm taking longer/quality is down at the moment, okay, you guys? I know you will be, though – that was said as much for my own benefit as anything ;) I beat you all in terms of criticising my work habits! MWA HA HAA! /dies/

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CHAPTER FIVE

The time for throwing tantrums had passed; as vital as the knowledge of the open path to the town hall had seemed when it first shocked him, Axel had had it all put starkly into perspective with the arrival of the Zanarkand officials. There was a spiteful pleasure in watching the couple from Child Services enter the castle foyer, dripping wet with the threat of frostbite after their inevitable trek up the mountain. The woman of the pair especially – her look of acute distaste and outrage were by far more comical than the man's creased-brow concern over the sodden quality of what looked like nice boots.

Their escort, a tall youth with shaggy brown hair, was doing just fine – Leon stripped his boots of their plastic coverings, balled them up and handed them to Yuffie, who saluted lazily and winked. "What, Squall, you didn't tell the city slickers they were gonna get their toes wet?"

The twenty-year-old shrugged off his heavy overcoat, his dull voice carrying easily to the silent gathering of adolescents lined up in front of the dead central fountain, facing the doorway, "I told 'em. They didn't listen. And don't call me that, my name's Leon."

"Okay, Leonhart," the girl airily replied, grabbing his coat away and moving to join Rinoa and Selphie at the left-hand staircase. A wave of snickers passed quietly through the ranks, nervous sounding. The strangers were still dealing with their damp woes, but soon their attention would be switched to their apparent aim - all of them.

Luxord stepped forward, smiling thinly. "Leon, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to bring our guests." He reached out, grabbed the teen's outstretched hand, a congenial shake passing between them. "How's the Committee going down there?"

Leon shook his fingers through his hair, dislodging some clumps of ice to the floor. "Still rebuilding. We've got a newbie, some guy with a history in engineering, he's helping with the blueprints for a water generator, try and get some power to the city as a whole."

"Sounds beneficial," the blond-haired man remarked with interest. "Well, you know all you need to do is speak with DiZ if you require our assistance in any way." He turned his attention to the visitors, the woman bent over, clutching the sleeve of her companion as she wrenched off one bright red pump with a low hiss. "Good God," Luxord muttered. He walked to her swiftly, took her arm, said, "Please, madam, I have _no _idea how you managed to come all this way on such atrocious footwear – you'll both need to warm yourselves in the library before continuing with anything further." He turned, extended an arm and crooked a finger. "Rinoa, love, Selphie, please will you both come and take – ah!" He turned to the pair with a charming, toothy smile. "But, how rude of me, introductions haven't even been made. I am Luxord, a technician under DiZ, dedicated to pulling Hollow Bastion back onto its feet. Leon, of course, you already know – leader of the Restoration Committee for nearly two years now, after his father died in the tragic explosion of the town hall all those five years ago – the two young ladies here," he gestured as the girls approached with pleasant expressions, "are charges of the castle, Rinoa, and Selphie. And of course – " He swept a casual hand at the rest of the gathering, the teens shifting slightly on their feet. " – the rest of our charges are here to meet you also. But of course, as I said, before anything else, you _will _need to take care of yourselves."

"Aren't there meant to be more figures of authority than this?" the woman demanded scathingly, apparently unforgiving over the state of her feet and shoes, as if the mountain had been made deliberately difficult to overcome. The man, however, was apparently born with a more genteel manner. He reached for Luxord's hand, the blond returning his grasp easily. "Please, we're all rather remiss right now," the man laughed quietly, shaking his head, voice mellow though slightly anxious – toes must've been fuckin' freezing, Axel supposed, lifting his head a little higher to get a good look. "My name is Reeve Tuesti, and this is my associate Scarlet, both of the Child Services division of the Department of Protection of Dependents. Thank you for accepting us so graciously on such short notice, we are, I assure you, quite appreciative." The woman gave a grunt of agreement, nails digging into Tuesti's arm as she fought for balance. Her eyes darted up and across the faces of the castle's wards, a sharp look.

Luxord inclined his head shortly at this, releasing his hand. "Of course, Mister Tuesti, it is our pleasure." He turned to Rinoa and Selphie. "Girls, if you would escort Mister Tuesti and Miss Scarlet to the library and ensure the fires are built to last? I'll go inform DiZ that they've arrived."

"Please, call me Reeve." The brown-haired man smiled at the teens, shook each of their hands. "A pleasure to meet you, ladies."

At the back of the assembly, Axel and Demyx snorted softly in unison. The blond leaned across, whispered, "He's a smooth one, huh?" Axel made a small, unimpressed noise.

"And perhaps, Leon – will you be joining us?" the man continued. "You must be cold as well…?"

Leon faced him with a steady, cool expression for a long moment, before shrugging and glancing away. "I'll be fine. Hollow Bastion is my home, Mister Tuesti. We're all used to the cold here." Turning his back on the official, he moved to join Yuffie at the base of the stairs, calling, "Tell me when you're both ready to return to the city. I'll take you back down." He and the girl ascended the stairs, disappearing deeper into the castle, taking the far hallway.

"I'm about ready to leave _now,"_ the blonde, Scarlet, muttered. Straightening, now in bare feet, holding her red pumps flat on her palms, she cast a hard eye over the two teenage girls. "The fires, please."

Casting a quick look over in the direction that Leon had taken, Rinoa smiled, took charge. "Of course, right this way."

"You should take off your shoes, too," Selphie was saying earnestly to Tuesti, as they mounted the stairs, vanished through a doorway. Their footsteps faded gradually, and for a moment, everyone stood and blinked at Luxord, who puffed a breath into his cheeks and ran a hand through his hair. His pale blue eyes glanced their way. "Alright, all of you – nicely done, not a snot-nosed remark to be heard, I'm impressed. That was a shorter introduction than I was expecting, but then that's probably a good thing." He smiled faintly, genuinely. "I suppose you've made your show – unless you're specifically called, go on and do what you want for a few hours. Just, uh – " He waved a hand vaguely. "Do be careful what you say out loud, yes? Remember: this castle is your home only because you choose to stay. Remember _also_ that we have people to look after, hm?"

With this warning set in place, the man quickly took his leave, vanishing down a side-corridor in the direction of DiZ, leaving the assembly alone without even their group leaders to direct them – not even Yuffie.

They all shuffled about for a minute, exchanging glances, before breaking free of their stiff lines, a buzz of murmurs building. Tidus, Sora, Vaan and Penelo, the two fair-haired teens having insinuated themselves among the castle orphans when everyone had lined up, made a bee-line for Axel and Demyx. "That didn't seem too bad," was the first thing Penelo brightly said, a thread of hopeful optimism in her voice. "I mean, they're only two people, and that Reeve guy didn't seem too bad, right?"

"The chick looked like a bitch, though," Vaan added, arms folding. "Did you see the way she was with her shoes?"

"She's a precious creature, isn't she?" drawled a nearby voice, Paine a moment later settling an elbow on Demyx's shoulder, she and Rikku joining their huddle. "Very much the epitome of Zanarkand, to my mind."

"All ass and no class?" Rikku smirked, the beads in her hair clicking as she shook the multiple braids over her shoulders. Paine snorted.

"I'd say the opposite – that woman's so full of class, it's coming out of her pores. Like I said: precious."

"I don't like either of them," Tidus said darkly. "That guy Tuesti might _seem _okay, but if what Axel said is true, neither of them is exactly here to make sure we're getting all our vitamins, you know?"

"To me, they're not worth bothering over," Axel said coolly, drawing seven sets of eyes blankly.

"You're saying that?" Sora uttered sceptically. "You?"

Still feeling disagreeable towards the short brunet, Tidus smacked the back of his head. "Don't contradict your elders."

Paine countered with a sharp smack of her own, delivered over a ducking Demyx's head. Tidus yelped, clutched his skull in an injured fashion. "What the hell was that for?"

She shrugged. "Felt like it." She turned her gaze back to Axel. "So, then, spill – what's changed your mind all of a sudden? Before they got here, you were all panic-mongering about their intentions, and now, what? You don't care anymore?"

"I'm not _scared _anymore," the redhead corrected, holding up a finger. "Like Vaan said, did you see the way she was with her shoes? And him, too, for that matter?" Green eyes hard with amusement, he copied Paine's pose, leaning on Demyx's other shoulder with a shrug. "Anyone else notice the way they barely even _looked _at us?" He smiled thinly. "I'm not worried about those two. Not now."

Sora hesitated, glanced at Tidus, then at Paine, before contributing, "…Don't be _too _sure. I mean – it's not all about looks… right? They were just tired, and – you never know what kind of people they are inside. Once they've dried out, they might…"

Axel scoffed. "Sora, you wait and see. If they really are here to dig up dirt on DiZ, they're gonna have a hell of a time getting any of us to volunteer it, and besides, would they even know what to ask? I mean, they didn't look a _thing _like I expected them to – they're probably not even to do with Child Services at _all." _

"Your detective skills amaze and wow me," Paine said dryly. She pushed off from Demyx, a hip cocking to one side. "But I'm going to go with Sora on this one, and reserve my judgement for later. You never know what aces they might be holding."

"How would Sora know anything? He's ten years old," Axel argued.

She dryly replied, "And you're thirteen."

"And I'm fifteen," Rikku interjected gaily.

"Demyx?" Axel demanded, ponytail jerking stiffly as he turned his head to the side to look down at the boy. "What do you think?"

The blond was reluctant. "Well – it wasn't exactly the most in-depth of long meetings, was it?" he said, guiltily, the redhead's gaze becoming an impatient glare. "I don't mean to burst your bubble or anything, Axel, but…" He trailed off, the other boy staring for a moment, before whatever confidence he'd gleaned deflated slightly. His shoulders rounded a little.

"Okay," he admitted, resentfully, "fine. We won't underestimate them based on first impressions alone. Happy, now?" He leaned more heavily onto the blond, a thoughtful scowl in place, before muttering, "But I guess that means I'll have to wait longer to get to the dump site."

Now it was his turn to get slapped over the head – Vaan glared at him. "Leave the site to me and Reks, okay? We'll take care of it. But keep your head where it counts, Axel."

"Don't you think I _am, _already?"the boy growled back, rubbing his vivid hair. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

Vaan poked his arm hard, scowling. "I can't do anything but watch, did you realise that? I like you guys, and I like this _place – _and I can't even help out with something like this. I _wish _I could be here for this, instead of down there guarding stuff. So stop being an asshole about the town hall, or I won't let you in, even if you get there."

"Hah!" Axel let out a harsh bark of laughter, letting go of Demyx and turning to face the white-blond boy with a sneer. "You think you could stop me, Blondie?"

"Oh, boy. Well, this is looking more fun by the second," Rikku interrupted, rolling her eyes, "but if you guys are gonna start doing all that chest-puffing stuff, I'm outies, guys. I could do without seeing a testosterone competition today – got enough on my plate, you know?"

"That makes two of us," Paine added, drifting away from the group, the two girls waving. "See you round, kids. I'm not spending my rare spare time standing around debating _this_ crap."

"Just cut it out," Penelo said, as they walked away, directing a pointed look at Vaan. "There's nothing to fight about – Axel's here, you're all here, and hey – you never know, we might be able to give good interviews for everyone, Vaan, did you think of that? They might call on us because we're outsiders."

The boy frowned. "Well… yeah, they might." Then he shook his head. "But we won't _be_ here, Pen, we have to go tape off the site."

"Yeah, you do," said Axel emphatically. "Break into the Committee headquarters and steal all _their _tape, if you have to – just keep all the looters away from that damn site until I get there."

"Did DiZ give you permission, then?" Vaan demanded. Axel didn't hesitate.

"Of course he did. He had no reason not to." Demyx's gaze narrowed imperceptibly.

"Well, once Reks comes back, we'll be ready to leave then," the white-blond said half-heartedly. He pressed his lips together, glanced around. "I might go and see if I can find Yuffie – she might be able to talk Leon into getting the Restoration Committee to help, since the town hall is such a big site… Reks was going to let him know anyway, but you guys were our first aim, because of DiZ and all…"

"I'll come with you," Tidus volunteered, tucking his hands behind his head.

Sora nodded quickly, chipped in hopefully, "Me, too."

Tidus sent him a squinting look, as if he wanted to tell the kid to go jump off a cliff instead, but before he could, Penelo grabbed Sora's arm happily. "We'll all go!"

"Fine, you do that," Axel said intently. "If the Committee's in on it, that'll lessen the chance of the vultures picking through it to sell shit to the black market." He jabbed a finger at Vaan. "Just don't take so long that Reks has to come looking for you. Every minute counts."

Rolling his eyes, Vaan responded, "Yes, master. Whatever you say." He nudged the girl at his side. "Come on, Penelo, let's go find them."

The four of them set off up the stairs, Penelo trailing Sora by the hand, the brunet looking cheerful for the first time since the previous day. She turned, waved, called, "If we don't see you again before we leave, bye!"

Demyx waved energetically. "Bye, Penelo!" Next to him, Axel snorted, hands digging into his pockets as he wheeled around, started walking the opposite way.

"You act like you like her."

Demyx stopped waving abruptly, hand dropping and a glare appearing. "I don't!" He hurried to catch up to the redhead, who headed down one of the dim passageways, boots clomping, leaving the last of the stragglers back in the foyer. _" 'Bye, Penelo'," _Axel mimicked, voice high pitched and eager. Demyx punched his arm.

"Stop being mean!" Axel smirked briefly, set out in the direction of their room, Demyx trotting to keep up with his longer paces. "Where are we going, anyway? Why aren't we helping them convince Leon to help out?"

"Because I need to take a nap," the redhead replied bluntly. "I barely slept last night from worrying about those Zanarkand bastards coming. Now that I've seen them, I can get some rest – no matter what you guys might think." He threw a disinterested glance sideways. "You don't have to come if you don't want to, Dem."

The blond shook his head. "Naw, we can share a bed. It'll be warmer." The pair traversed the cold halls, though fires burned strategically throughout the castle to ensure that the Child Services officials didn't cotton on to just how damned chilly it could get in the sleeping quarters. The heavy wooden door creaked open, and they entered the dark space. Axel glanced automatically upward at the long-dead electric light bolted to the ceiling. He paused at the doorway, reached over, arm blocking Demyx as he went to enter. The blond blinked at him, then craned his head around to see what he was doing. Axel flicked the useless switch on and off a few times, the click sounding hollow. "Huh. Wonder what it'd be like to have power again." Demyx shrugged.

"I used to like going to Vexen's labs for the lights, but I'm kinda used to it now. The fires all the time are nice, too." Axel made a noise of approval, and the two entered the room. As Demyx closed the door, Axel beginning the process of stripping off his thick coat and boots, the blond hesitated, leaned back against the wood to watch for a long minute. Folding his coat neatly, draping it over the foot of the bed for later, kicking his shoes out of the way, Axel glanced over. "You coming, or what?" He threw back the blankets, crawled onto the mattress, sat and tugged them up around his crossed legs. When Demyx still didn't move, Axel gestured impatiently. "Okay, say it, whatever it is, and then hurry up, I'm getting cold already."

Demyx eyeballed him. "…You didn't get to talk to DiZ, did you?"

Axel fixed him with a steady, half-lidded look. "So what?"

"So… what're you going to do?"

Axel flopped back, arms over his head, head bouncing lightly on the pillow. "Me? I'm going to sleep for a while. What about you, Dem?"

The blond's mouth quirked down at the corners. "No fair. You're not even gonna tell me? I'm your best friend!"

Axel rolled onto his side, back to the door, and muttered, "Roxas is my best friend."

Demyx gave a sigh. "Fine, Roxas is your best friend. But I'm up there, right?" He pushed away from the door, approached the bed and sat beside the redhead's legs. "So what happened, then?"

Throwing an arm over half his face, Axel mumbled, "He wouldn't see me, because of the Zanarkand people coming. Reks was in there, though, so he's gotta know about it at least." His head was at an awkward angle because of the jutting quality of his ponytail. Shaking his head, Demyx reached out, took hold of the elastic bands constricting the crimson spikes, and snapped them easily. Axel's hair sprang out, almost spraying in every direction at the sudden freedom, the arm jumping away to reveal a fierce glare. "Bitch! What was that for?!"

"You have to sleep," the blond pointed out. "You can't sleep with that thing spearing out from your skull." He climbed up to the top of the covers, lifted them and slid in quickly before the cold could make Axel start complaining again. Scowling, the redhead threw his hands through his hair several times to calm it.

"Yeah, but now you're gonna have stupid spikes in your eyes for the next two hours."

Affectionately, Demyx petted his head. "They're not stupid. They're bright, and cute!"

"Stop that!" Axel reprimanded sharply, wrenching his head out of reach and turning back over, to face Dem this time, with a glare. "I have stupid, horrible hair, and it needs to stay held back. I'm running out of rubber bands, you know!"

"So steal more from DiZ," Demyx shrugged, snuggling down more comfortably. "It's not like it's hard."

Axel gave a short sigh. "Whatever you say, Dem. Just leave my hair alone, okay?" The blond murmured an agreement. "Go to sleep," the redhead commanded, and promptly shut his eyes to do just that. The two of them scrunched instinctively closer together, the way they'd slept through the past four and a half winters, arms around one another, heads bent at just the right angle so they didn't have to inhale the other's stale air. Silence developed, deepened, the comfort of the familiar lulling Axel beyond his earlier fears, lack of sleep catching up finally, taking him down into a foggy, near-slumbering embrace.

That's when Demyx whispered, "Axel…?"

The teen jolted slightly, one delicate thread tying him closer to sleep snapping. A sharply mumbled, _"What?" _

He felt a warm exhalation on his ear, as Demyx breathed out, in, out and in again before asking softly, "If you do go before you're meant to… take me with you, okay?"

Another thread snapped, but Axel burrowed his face into the pillow, tried to cling to it. "…Go to sleep, Demyx."

There was a pause, before the blond's grip on Axel's shirt tightened faintly, and, like this, they drifted into slumber.

--

So far, all that the visitors had done was warm themselves by the castle's fires, eat the castle's food, and enjoy the castle's hospitality. Castle, of course, being a euphemism for DiZ. It was funny, Axel thought, as he gazed over at where the couple were sitting eating their meal, the way that the adult-world worked. The machinations between the youths of Hollow Bastion were so much more clear-cut, direct – if you didn't like someone, they knew about it. They fought with their fists, their words, their spite – it could be brutal at times. More than one kid had gone home with a bloodied nose and swollen eye, especially where the issue of dump-sites were concerned. DiZ hadn't been the only one to realise what a mine of resources they could be, and how well little bodies slipped between cracks that utterly defeated the bigger, clunky adult ones.

The older you got, though, the more subtle it all became. DiZ _knew _that these people were here to undermine him, cut his legs out from under; he _knew _they weren't here for the good of the castle's charges – and yet, here they were, being treated like respected guests.

And these people – the only reason they'd come was to find a way to stab at Hollow Bastion's de-facto leader, and yet the man of the couple, at least, managed to act as if they actually cared about what was going on around them, cared in a sense that suggested they really were serving some greater good.

The redhead snorted lightly to himself. "The greater good of Zanarkand," he muttered under his breath. Tidus glanced up from his dinner, a nicer one than they'd been treated to for a while now.

"You say something?"

"Nothing worth repeating," Axel sighed. "Not when Zanarkand's the subject." They all looked over at the newcomers, with varying degrees of distaste and suspicion. The woman, Scarlet, was focused on her food, yet again looking like something had crawled up her elegant ass and died, while Reeve cheerfully engaged Rinoa, Selphie, Yuffie, and at least attempted to with Leon. As usual, waiting for when most of the youths had finished before they started their own meals, Luxord and Xigbar lazily wandered around the sides of the room, idly swapping conversation with one another while they kept an eye on their unofficial charges. Other than their voices, however, and the girls', being a point of pride in the fact that they were playing along nicely with the charade, the hall was more or less silent. Faces were drawn, the clink of cutlery louder than the occasional murmured conversations taking place. Surely the Child Services pair would notice their unusual quietness, but it was nothing they could help; it was one thing to behave, another entirely to pretend to be happy with their presence, and simply go about as they normally would. There was tension threading the ranks, hard and buzzing.

"I told my friend about them," Sora piped up softly after a while, swirling a fork through his potatoes. "He doesn't think this is such a bad thing, that they can actually help us some." His blue eyes regarded the man and woman openly, innocence and naivety evident in his every breath. "He even said that some of us might get to go to Zanarkand someday."

"I've pretty much had enough of you and your invisible friend," Tidus grumbled, stabbing a piece of meat with his fork. He scooped it off his plate, pointed it at the boy with frustrated eyes. "Sora. Your friend isn't real. And if he was, he'd be an asshole, you know that? Because none of _us _will _ever _go to Zanarkand willingly. Have you forgotten that they're the whole reason we're here in the first place?"

"No one can prove Zanarkand were the ones that exploded town hall!" the boy cried back, voice rising shrilly, drawing the gazes of the officials snapping over. "And I told you, he _is _real!" With sudden, hot anger, he threw his utensils onto his plate. "He _told _me I shouldn't tell you guys about him, and he was right. He said you wouldn't understand!"

"Your invisible _friend_ sounds like a _Zanarkand_ supporter," Tidus responded, volume growing steadily. "Gee, Sora, since he's totally a figment of your fucking _imagination, _does this mean _you're _one of them?"

"Hold it down," Axel snapped, intervening as he spotted Luxord hurrying over, Xigbar scowling in the background. Sora was back to nearly being in tears – but honest to God, what did the kid expect, making statements like that? Demyx flashed Luxord a bright smile as the man grimly approached.

"Everything's fine here, nothing to worry about," he breezily announced. "You go back to Xiggy."

The man bent at the waist, bringing his face down into their midst, a hard, cold smile in place. "I'm glad to hear it," he murmured softly, steel lacing each word, "because if I hear another outburst like that, the gentleman that makes it will find himself before DiZ once our guests have left. Especially since those guests will in fact be staying at the castle for the next three nights – I assure you, boys, every single point you incur against yourselves will be tallied and redistributed accordingly." His gaze found Sora, who cowered. "Young man," he whispered swiftly, "don't you dare shriek such things during dinner again, or any meal for that matter. Whatever you want to think privately is entirely up to you, but such outbursts in public _will not _be tolerated – especially after your more recent transgression. Am I understood? I am quite thoroughly sick of you and your magical friend – you're not to mention it again." He straightened, the smile becoming falsely hearty as he smacked Axel's back in a stingingly friendly fashion. Voice back to normal levels, he said, "And that's the end of that! Don't linger on your meals, boys, you can leave once you're done."

Sora's head was bowed as Luxord walked away, eyes squeezed shut, expression contorted with the effort of keeping his weeping in. Desperately wanting to avert the building storm, Axel, next to him, reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing. His eyes darted over to where the Zanarkand were sitting – neither one was looking at them. Reeve was back to his bright chatter with the girls, Leon sitting silently and picking at his meal while Rinoa every now and then tried to include him, her hands fluttering – and now, even that Scarlet woman had joined in, was smiling and adding a few words every now and then. Was it that they were just being polite in ignoring that anything had happened?

Sora was beginning to shake, little gulps convulsing his slight frame. God, the absolute worst that could happen would be if he erupted into howls of misery now, like he obviously so badly wanted to do. There was nothing more guaranteed to _make _them stare, whether they wanted to or not.

Axel wrapped his whole arm around the boy, rocking him slightly, anxiously swapping a look with Demyx, who shrugged helplessly, also keeping an eye on the officials. Tidus was glaring blackly down at his plate, obviously back to full Sora-hating mode, looking like any iota of forgiveness in the near-future was going to be damned near impossible. Axel shut his eyes tightly, thought fast, snapped them open and said, "Listen, you guys, I think Sora had better sleep in our room tonight." He met Dem's gaze for a flickering moment, found agreement, continued, "Sora can have Demyx's bed, and Dem will sleep in Tidus' room tonight, okay?" He quickly rubbed Sora's arm, as a sharp sniffling began, a thin whine coming from the boy's throat. "I think I'll take Sora straight to bed, man," he added to Demyx, who nodded quickly.

"I'll bring his clothes over in the morning," he promised, throwing a glance sideways at Tidus, who was ignoring the whole conversation, along with Sora's mounting distress.

"Great. Thanks. Sora?" He lowered his mouth to the boy's ear, making the brunet crush his fists against his eyes and give the beginning of a sob. "Let's go, come on." He stood carefully, not wanting to make too big a deal out of it, and the brunet followed his lead, allowing himself to be quickly guided out of the room, Luxord and Xigar's gazes burning their shoulder-blades.

Once they were out into the halls, a safe distance, Sora began to really let loose, groaning and heaving and blubbering in earnest, Axel frantically trying to keep him together at least until they were in the confines of his and Demyx's room. He kept rubbing his arms, hugging him all the way, murmuring encouragement and pleas, while Sora grew louder and louder. The boy started trying to talk through his wails, a slurred, slippery mess of words and justifications and arguments he should've made, along with a fierce anger at everyone's continuing disbelief at the existence of his friend, and some real remorse at having stuck his foot so badly in his mouth. He was the biggest fucking mess Axel had ever had to deal with in all his years, and that included the time Roxas had fallen three meters to the ground out of a tree when he was four years old.

"Jesus, kid," he muttered desperately, urging him along the last stretch of corridor, the door coming into sight, "aren't you meant to be ten? I can't imagine Roxas putting on this kind of performance, and he's the same age as you."

This inspired another bout of mangled, tearful speech, culminated in an angrily spat, _"Fuck _Roxas!"

"Hey, now," Axel growled, grabbing the door handle and shoving it open, "that's enough of that." He dragged the boy in, slammed it shut, and put his hands on his hips, wondering what to do now with the wet, sobbing creation standing in the centre of the room. Now that he was getting a good look at him, Axel could see the dark smudges under his eyes, the paleness of his skin, and, as if to emphasise it all, in the middle of his despair, Sora's jaw clicked under the force of a gigantic yawn.

"That's right," the redhead murmured. "You lost some sleep last night, too, didn't you? What with your little disappearing act and all…" Sora subsided into loud sniffles and hiccups, scrubbing at his eyes. Axel sighed, shaking his head. "Come on, Sora, let's get you into bed, okay? You and me could both do with a few extra hours tonight." The boy was unresisting as Axel took his elbow, steered him gently over towards Demyx's unmade bed, straightening the sheets out a little and helping him onto the mattress. With an exasperated half-smile, the redhead commented, "Oh, so _now _you stop crying? Now that you've screamed down half the castle? Stupid kid," he added, not without affection, pulling the blankets up as Sora curled into a miserable ball. "You're lucky you used to be friends with Kairi, otherwise I wouldn't like you as much as I do."

Sora sniffed some more, gave a loud yawn, wiping his eyes on Demyx's pillow. "I miss Kairi," he mumbled, voice cracking and breaking with the after-effect of so many tears. "She was fun to play with."

"Mm," Axel agreed shortly, tucking him in, straightening with his hands on his hips.

"I wish she didn't have to be in the simulation all the time," the boy murmured, taking a deep, shivering breath. "And Riku, too… I miss them both."

Axel gazed at him for a long moment. "…Yeah. I know. I miss Kairi, too. And Roxas."

"My friend said that it's wrong to keep people locked up like that," Sora whispered, eyes slipping shut. "He said that now the war's over, they should be set free, so they can reass – reassess? Rea-simulate?"

"Reassimilate." Axel eyed him sharply. "Which friend said that? If it's the magical one," he warned, "I won't be so nice to you, Sora – Tidus and Luxord are right, you need to shut the hell up about that."

Sora didn't respond. He wasn't asleep yet – Axel saw his eyelids flicker – but he was either ignoring this statement, or pretending that he was dozing already. Either way, he didn't have an answer. Axel scowled down at him, decided it wasn't worth pursuing, and crossed to his own bed, kicking off his boots and changing into his bed-clothes. He wouldn't be needed again tonight, and if he'd understood Luxord right – ever the bringer of bad news, it would seem – the Zanarkand officials wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. It was sensible, he supposed resignedly. They couldn't keep going up and down the mountain like Leon did, they weren't familiar enough with the terrain, too accustomed to streets and cars and lights and shit like that. Little old war-torn Hollow Bastion must have been a hell of a shock to the system. Still, it was a pain in the ass. They were more likely to find things wrong with the place if they were staying without breaks – and when the hell were they all meant to find time to get work done? They were busily pretending to not know what chemicals were or how blowtorches worked!

Over on the other bed, Sora's breaths began to deepen. _Well, that was fast. _Axel rolled onto his side, green eyes bright in the darkness, studying the painfully small lump under the blankets. Sometimes, it was a wonder that Sora had survived the way he had. He acted like such a little kid ninety-percent of the time, got so wound up if you teased him, and, it would seem, burst into wild tears if you doubted him… yet he was the only one of his age-group that had dodged the soldiers way back. He was the youngest apprentice among them, and one of the brightest. Definitely one of the sookiest, though, but then again, what did they expect? He acted like a little kid because he _was _one – and as lonely as they all were, even in solidarity, was it really such a big deal that he'd created someone to counteract it? Well – it wouldn't have been, if he didn't act like such a douche about it all. Running off, spouting borderline pro-Zanarkand lines… fastest way to get his ass in hot water around this place.

Axel settled more comfortably, feeling a little cold without Demyx there to add to the general heat, but… it had actually worked out well, this way. With Sora just about snoring already over on the other mattress, deeply, exhaustedly asleep after so much drama… it really wasn't going to be that hard to sneak out of the castle, once he was sure the coast was clear.

DiZ… DiZ hadn't even seen him. Reks had been the one to answer the door to the office, had smiled down at Axel, but when Axel tried to speak, he'd cut him off with, "Sorry, Axel – DiZ is a little busy right now. He thought you'd be here, and he told me to tell you that you're not thinking clearly – he'll see you in three days, when everything's more settled."

Axel had gaped. "Three days? No, I have to see him _now, _Reks!"

And then DiZ had appeared, had nudged Reks aside and gazed dispassionately at the redhead. "You heard," he'd said, voice brooking no argument. "Three days, Axel. I don't want to hear a word about it until then. This castle has enough to deal with without a group of you running off to mourn the death-site of your parents."

The door had been shut firmly in his face, a thousand arguments frozen on his tongue, heart beating irregular and fast. _The death-site of your parents…_

DiZ had refused to see Axel, had refused to even discuss the matter.

But he'd never outright said that Axel couldn't go… and he was pretty sure he would be even if DiZ had.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: **HAAAA. HIIIII. Stress plus exhaustion equals incredibly shitty writing ability – so I just waited until my brain was feeling more capable :S I mean, wow, I haven't gone this long without updating in… a while. Ever. Maybe. Something like that. It'll maybe be a little while again before I start on HTPD, too, since it requires a lot of brain-juice – but, that said, who knows? Maybe the change in story will kick-start me :) So, I know this story is the _slow _one of the bunch, and basically you're all reading it coz it's TU-related, but I'm expecting/hoping to have it pick up and take off in a few chapters. PATIENCE shall be our watchword :D Or mine, at the very least ;P

PS: Abrupt ending is abrupt… AND I DON'T CAAAAAARE! It's one in the stupid morning, and I have an early start! SO THE ABRUPT ENDING CAN GO JUMP OFF A CLIFF.

--

CHAPTER SIX

Axel dozed for a while, passing back and forth between the fuzziness of sleep and waking, not wanting to dip so low as to lose himself within it, only to open his eyes to find that morning had come. Over on Demyx's bed, Sora breathed loudly and deeply, mouth ajar, eyes peacefully shut, the calmest and most collected that Axel had seen him in a while. The kid always seemed to be buzzing with some new theory or story – it was good to see him getting some downtime. And he slept so _completely – _half of Axel's troubles in staying conscious were that the noises Sora made were so lulling, he found himself struggling to not copy the boy's breath patterns, had to focus on keeping in the upper reaches of consciousness.

It was going to be a delicate balance, getting out of here without being caught – he couldn't begin too early, or there'd be no _question _of him getting found out; but he'd also discovered that Xigbar, Luxord and even Vexen had taken to wandering the halls late at night… Often he heard their footfalls, as they patrolled the empty passages. He'd encountered each of them at different intervals in the past few months, on trips to the bathroom or dining hall, and each had had different reactions to seeing him. Vexen had been the most suspicious, the one that made Axel think that maybe they were doing this on a regular basis, prowling around in search of errant children to throw into the cooking pot or whatever, with the way he'd snapped at the redhead and virtually shoved him back to his room… So there was at least those three to dodge, and who knew if others like that woman Shalua were roaming elsewhere? Not to mention the presence of the Zanarkand officials – if he was them, he'd be using these quiet hours to sneak around gathering illicit information… which in turn probably meant that Xigbar, Luxord and Vexen would be patrolling even _more… _

Ugh. It was a mess inside his head.

He'd wing it.

After all, they'd always been roaming around to a certain extent through the years, making sure no one was sneaking where they shouldn't, out of bed when they should have been snoring – DiZ wasn't fool enough to just assume that a collection of youths were always going to obey the rules, no matter how voluntarily they remained. As a result, Axel and Demyx had got good at dodging, back in the days when they used to scamper away to rendezvous at the old, cold fireplace in the middle of the night. Habits like that didn't just fade away and die – at least, not in Axel.

He counted the hours silently, taking into account his early disappearance from the dining hall, rousing himself every half hour to sixty minutes and listening, listening to the sounds the castle was making, listening to Sora make the odd gurgling sound as he rolled over – the kid was a restless sleeper, even if it _was _deep. He virtually snored as he all but kicked away the blankets. Axel heard footsteps, heard voices, and eventually, he heard nothing. The halls were still. He could feel the depth of night with the dropping temperature.

From there, he let more time slip past, until, at last, his feet touched the ground again. Hurriedly, the boy once again changed his clothing, a wary eye stuck on Sora, searching for signs of stirring. The brunet snorted obliviously to the background sounds of rustling fabric, Axel pulling on the thick clothing necessarily for braving the outer elements, along with a heavy, woollen hat, a hole cut in it by Demyx to allow his ponytail to pierce through, encompassing his skull down to his brows. He laced his boots, buttoned his coat, and stood, gazing over at the boy.

Sora had managed to dislodge a good portion of the covers, lying exposed to the cold air, limbs twisted at odd angles, his shirt having ridden up slightly to reveal a small section of his belly. Tongue clicking quietly, Axel gently took the skewed blanket and tucked it back over and around the hapless kid, making sure to push it down between the wall and mattress in an effort to keep it from sliding away again. No doubt Sora would make short work of it, the way he'd been thrashing the last few hours, but for a while at least, he'd be warm. It wouldn't do for him to get so chilled that he awoke, only to find himself alone. Of course, he wouldn't necessarily think anything of it, wouldn't instantly jump up and raise the alarm… but some risks were better not taken.

Satisfied with his efforts, Axel tugged the wool of his hat down a little further over his eyes and walked softly to the door, easing it open and slipping out into the hallway. He looked back and forth warily, ears pricked for sounds of approach, but for the moment all was quiet; not even the distant echoes normally audible from all ends of the castle, noises of life reverberating up and down, all but constant at every other point of the day.

Running his hands down his coat, a nervous gesture, Axel lifted his chin, put on a casual air, and started walking. Each pace was even, if a little swifter than usual, green eyes watchful of the doors he was passing. He sniffed loudly, threw a glance over one shoulder as he turned a corner, his steps soft.

Once he was beyond the sleeping quarters, he veered around past the dining hall, speeding up a little. Shadows haunted the halls, lit intermittently by small kerosene lanterns, one of the castle's most valued fuel-types. Once upon a time, these black-filled passages had been a source of fear for many of Hollow Bastion's remnant children, accustomed to electrically-lit, short homes, the walls and ceilings here seeming to gape and consume – but after five years, the redhead barely even noticed that it was dark. The real shadows – they were waiting for him under snow-clogged, moon-obscuring clouds. The challenge was going to be in traversing the mountain's unsteady winter trails, the larger ones through the ravine almost entirely cut off by this time of year.

That was where the trail bikes were going to come in handy. All he had to do was get to them, stored for the winter in the old, crumbling greenhouse sitting on drunkenly half-sunk foundations in one of the outer courtyards.

So far, so good. He hadn't encountered even a footfall of the castle's guardians – though that didn't necessarily mean Xigbar wasn't stalking him like a panther… Axel could picture it easily, since the trigger-happy bastard had taken to doing just that for shits and giggles at one point two years ago with people on their way to the bathroom. DiZ had put a stop to it, as he inevitably ended up doing with Xigbar's antics, once the level of terrorised _children _reached a certain point. But – surely he wouldn't do it with the Zanarkand officials around – _surely. _

And yet… paranoia took root in Axel's veins, skin creeping, shoulders hunching, adrenaline leaking a little faster. He couldn't help the quick dart of his eyes, steps slowly halting in the middle of the passage, heart thumping. Turning side-on, he gazed back the way he'd come, inspecting the hollow tunnel extending behind him, its shadows deep and complete, the little flickers of light cutting it apart. Definitely no one there, not even an overgrown, idiotic scientist with a penchant for guns and traumatisation. The redhead was, for now at least, perfectly safe. However, if he remained here, someone was bound to happen along.

Hands tucking into their sleeves, Axel twisted on one foot, drew a chilled breath and took off at a quick, light, short-stepped jog, slowing and peering into each corridor he came across, before continuing on again. The courtyard he was aiming for was towards the far edge of the castle, which meant that, once he reached a certain point, the risk of discovery would be dramatically lowered. Unless DiZ had already anticipated his actions, and sent someone ahead to stand guard over what was obviously the only sensible method of transport at night in the snowy terrain for those that knew how to use them, everything was… going to be…

…Shit.

Axel stopped, panting a little, eyebrows knitting together. His hands rose to drag the woollen hat more securely over his hair, as he twisted to look around the hallway with a new, more prevalent sense of anxiety. DiZ. DiZ was awfully smart. Distracted at the moment because of the officials – but enough to overlook the fact that Axel was hot-headed, impulsive, and desperate in his own little way?

The redhead could feel it, the strong, almost overwhelming desire to get out there, to brave the cruelty of the mountain on a winter's night just to go down and visit some relics of existence gone wrong. In any other situation, he _knew _it would be a dumb move, dangerous if nothing else – but when it came to this… to the town _hall… _there was an intensity to it. And DiZ… DiZ was observant.

What guarantee was there that the man's piercing gaze hadn't shot straight through him and recognised his intentions? What if Xigbar _was _prowling – prowling _here? _Waiting for Axel to happen along, full of determination and fire, only to be grabbed and sent back to bed, confirming that he was – the wrong person for the job? Because… because DiZ wasn't going to send anyone to the new dump site that wasn't going to do their job. If he thought Axel was going to just mope around and pine for the olden days, he'd keep him on fire-building duties, and there, there would go his opportunity to see it _first. _

DiZ was awfully smart. DiZ was observant. But, then again, so could Axel be. He might not have been another Sora in terms of recall abilities and absorbing information – but he could make connections when the points were laid out. He wasn't so blinded by all his desire to not see what would be obvious to an objective outsider.

Disappointment was a lumpy rock, tumbling from his chest down to his toes, hitting every available wall of flesh along the way. If he went tonight… someone would probably be waiting.

Son of a bitch.

Axel folded his arms, leaned heavily against the wall for a minute, contemplating his defeat. The depression was sharp, throat thick, this feeling throwing him back to when he'd cleaned Roxas and Kairi's belongings to be sent away. All he felt was… loss. His eyes rose to the ceiling, slid shut, a deep sigh shaking his frame, speaking volumes of years-long pain and weariness, ageing him just that little bit more beyond his youth.

It was no good, living like this. Living day-in, day-out inside a cold, damp castle with orphans that had nowhere else to go, authority that didn't want you except to train you to be useful, no mother, no father, because their remains were five-years decayed under piles of rubble down the mountain…

It was… no good.

He just wanted it to be like it was before.

His feet took him back the way he'd come, slowly dragging across the stone floor. Two corridors down, Demyx was waiting. Axel froze, head jolting up from its sunken position, eyes wide, staring. The blond had his hands clasped together down at his thighs, a shoulder pressed against the wall. He exhaled slowly, gave the redhead a small smile. "I figured you'd end up going by yourself," he said quietly. Head tilting to the side, he added, the smile turning crooked, "No answer is kind of an answer, right?"

Axel blinked rapidly, heart thumping a little harder with the sudden shock of seeing him. Looking around sharply, he grabbed Demyx's elbow, pulled him a little way down the hall, hissed, "Were you _following _me?"

Stumbling, voice jerking a little as he struggled to keep his balance, he replied, "No,I went _ahead _of you."

Jaw swinging open, Axel jerked them to just as sudden a stop, poor Demyx nearly tripping with the forced momentum. _"You went ahead? _Did they catch you?!"

The blond steadied himself, carefully disengaged his tight grip. "Obviously not, since I'm here now." He fixed Axel with a patient look. "I doubled back to wait for you. I figured we could drop by Sora's room and get him those clothes for tomorrow. I knew you'd be sneaking around out here…" He sighed. "So you guessed that they'd be watching the bikes, huh?"

The redhead regarded him with bewilderment. "It seemed like the logical outcome, knowing DiZ." Demyx nodded at this, then froze when Axel demanded, "But you were just going to stand here? You didn't feel like trying to warn me?" Demyx's head lowered, the boy never good at masking his emotions, only ever able to hide them and keep quiet so as not to incriminate himself further. After a moment, Axel's expression slackened. "You – did you _want_ me to get caught? Dem?"

"Of course I didn't _want _you to get caught," the blond muttered.

"You just weren't going to try and _stop _me, right?" Axel's voice cut through the air, volume raising a level. "You really would've let me just walk into it… and then – ? You were just – waiting here for me? To what, come back with my tail between my legs?!"

Nervously, Demyx made a dampening motion with his hands, not meeting the redhead's angry gaze as he whispered, _"Sh-h, someone'll hear."_

"What the hell is up with you?" Axel snapped, ignoring the warning. "Are you really that dead-set against me going by myself that you'd just – you'd let me walk right into Xigbar?"

"Axel…"

"_What?"_

Evidently having expected to just be talked over… Demyx didn't actually have anything to say. He squirmed in place unhappily, under a rapidly heating gaze. At last, he managed, "It isn't like that. I just – I didn't _want _you to get caught…"

"No." Axel's voice was hard with confusion, green eyes torn between fire and ice. "You just would've watched it happen." He shook his head slowly. "I don't get you, Dem. Not over this. I don't _get _you. You just – you act like you don't want me to go downthere. Is that what I'm meant to think?" A long minute passed, in which Demyx didn't respond. He didn't – he didn't even _try _to defend himself, just remained the way he was, as if expecting Axel to continue demanding answers. The redhead, however, merely scowled. This was no time for a screaming match, even if he had been able to work himself up to one, not that it would have been easy – his puzzlement was just too strong at the moment. Helplessly, he said, "Don't bother coming back to our room tomorrow. Bring more of Sora's clothes than you were going to – I think I'll be hanging onto him a few more days. You can just – stay where you are."

When Demyx only nodded, somehow managing to look entirely without shame despite whatever the hell he'd been happily planning, Axel elbowed past the blond, stalked away down the dark passageway, leaving him with his head hanging low, no explanation in sight.

Axel didn't even want to _think _about what the hell kind of motivation had made him act this way. He just – he needed to get back to sleep, before he was wrecked for tomorrow.

It was just hard, stripping off, lying back down, when he knew that, if things had been different… he might have been on his way down the mountain by now.

--

The morning was… quiet. Axel had woken late, bleary-eyed, with only enough time before breakfast to rebuild the morning fires. He lost his chance to go see Roxas and Kairi. God only knew DiZ would probably have a tight watch on the room anyway, with the Zanarkand officials around. Twilight Town wasn't just something you messed with – it was all so ridiculously delicate, once you got into the intricacies.

The redhead was quiet as he lined up with Sora, who had found three days' worth of outfits outside Axel's door when he woke up, with not a note of explanation. The kid had almost started sniffling again, thinking it was because Tidus hated him, but Axel had shoved past him, countenance sour, and muttered, "It's not you, it's to do with me and Dem." He'd left the boy to get changed, had saved him a bowl, and the two of them got their oatmeal together.

When Sora went automatically to sit with Demyx and Tidus, Axel just grabbed his bowl off him, ignoring the, "Hey!" of protest, and went to sit with Paine and Rikku. Sora followed sulkily.

"I wanted to sit with them," he argued. "Whatever you and Demyx are fighting about – "

"Can it, crybaby," the redhead growled, clattering both bowls down on the surface, making the girls glance up. "Tidus still doesn't want to sit with you, anyway, so this is for both of us."

Paine lifted a brow. "Trouble in paradise? You and Demyx are fighting?" She swapped a look with Rikku. "Wow. Sky must be falling."

"Sora doesn't know what he's talking about," Axel replied shortly, and promptly started eating. He flicked a glance over at Sora a second later, added, "And don't you dare start crying again, I swear to God…"

"Is it after that argument you guys had in the hall yesterday?" a bright voice inquired, a moment before Yuffie shoved herself down at their table. Axel froze, eyes darting up to pin her. It took a long beat for him to realise that she meant yesterday _morning, _not the night's activities. His chest relaxed from its tightly wound state, a breath escaping slowly.

"Yeah, that's totally it." It was close enough to the truth. He frowned, looked at the girl properly, asked, "What are you doing here again so early?"

She flicked a hand airily. "A bit of this, a bit of that."

"Sounds busy," Paine dryly observed.

"Leon's back again," Yuffie told them, "and I came with him. We're kind of… hanging around until the Zanarkand guys leave."

"Why?" Sora asked. Everyone stared. A moment later, he blushed, stuttered something no one could make out, and concentrated on eating.

"Look's like Sora's figured out how to shut his mouth," Yuffie observed happily. "Good for you, kid. Zanarkand…" An edge appeared in her tone, drawing the eyes of those around the table as she drummed her fingers quickly on the metal surface. Though she smiled, her voice belied this as she continued, "They're bad news. Maybe there's no proof they had anything to do with the town hall, kiddo, but – they left their mark on enough of the _rest _of the city, not to mention other places outside of Hollow Bastion. Just keep that in mind, okay?" She turned her attention back to Axel, grabbed a spike and yanked on it. "So what's up with you, anyway? Just kiss and make up, already, your partner in crime's looking like someone spat in his oats and made him eat it."

Axel lowered his eyes to his bowl, refusing to look over and see whatever miserable expression she was describing. "Butt out."

Yuffie snorted. "Yeesh. Fine. Be a sissy."

Axel rolled his eyes, sighed loudly, kept eating. Idle chatter passed between the females, while both Axel and Sora quietly finished their breakfast, all sound in the dining hall cutting short the instant that DiZ set foot among them. Everybody froze, every set of eyes fixed on the man as he swept across the front of the room, bearing in tow the two Zanarkand officials, looking decidedly healthier than they had the previous afternoon. Behind them trailed Luxord, Xigbar, and a bored-looking Leon, who promptly slouched off to get some free breakfast.

"Good morning." DiZ's voice rang across their heads as he took a position within easy sight, his gaze passing flatly over the assembly. "I trust you're all well today." The was a faint rustling as he adjusted his deep sleeves, hands folding together under the volumes of maroon fabric. He studied them all for a moment. "I'm here to lead the official introduction of our guests, two agents from Zanarkand's Child Services division, whom you are to call Reeve and Scarlet." The man and woman tipped their heads, Reeve pleasantly, Scarlet shortly, as if this was new information to the castle's wards. "I trust you will treat them with respect, and answer any questions they have regarding your care over the previous five years. They will be joining your work groups to observe castle life. I implore you all to show them the utmost in courtesy." A diplomat DiZ might have been, in every sense of the word, but it seemed to Axel that even he was finding this all rather tiresome. He sounded like he was reciting a practiced speech, bored, with a thousand other things he could be doing other than this. With his next words, though, his gaze briefly stuck to Axel's, the redhead fighting off a squirming unease as he said, "I'll thank all of you in advance for your mature co-operation, and for not causing trouble."

Axel's face prickled with the overwhelming urge to look over to see Demyx's reaction to all this. He fought it, though, didn't flicker, didn't flinch away from the man's golden gaze, and it passed from him, DiZ completing the address with a brisk, disinterested, "That is all." He turned to the Zanarkand officials. "My senior technician Luxord will see to it that you're adequately fed and cared for during your stay." His voice thick with disapproval, he added, "Don't hesitate to call on me if you require a discussion of any kind." He inclined hid head curtly. "Now, I have matters to attend to. Please, excuse me."

Without a second glance around, he folded his arms behind his back and swept stiffly from the dining hall. The sense of belittled awe hung in the air, most of the castle's youths still far too unaccustomed to the sight of their benefactor even after all these years.

As Luxord led the officials to get their breakfast, Selphie and Rinoa rose, the signal for the two groups to form, Yuffie taking a backseat this time. Axel wondered, as he got to his feet with the others, Yuffie whistling cheerfully at his side, if they had planned it this way, so that the groups would have an opportunity for quick conferencing before being joined by the observers.

Indeed, as the two older girls gestured them all out into the hall, voices loud and cheerful, they were swiftly led away, Xigbar stumping beside them, expression grim. Glancing over her shoulder, Rinoa gave Selphie a quick nod, and the girl halted sharply, all of them huddled awkwardly close together in the narrow passageway. Axel noticed with disgruntlement that he'd ended up automatically close to Demyx, made an extra effort to ignore the blond.

"Okay, kids," Xigbar announced, hands clapping together, his wiry ponytail drawn over one shoulder, single eye roving their ranks, "obviously, things are gonna operate a little differently, right? We didn't know the freaks were gonna stay for a while like this, so you aren't workin' on the cable channels anymore, and you sure as shit ain't gonna be violet-washing crap, okay?" He drew a gloved finger and thumb over his lips in a zipping motion. "As far as the channel's concerned, Rinoa's group, you guys'll be transporting the steel, _with _proper hand protection, and using the trolleys and shit – no carrying two to a piece for convenience, m'kay?" Whatever chorus of light groans that would normally have sounded out at this were restrained, determined expressions in place, a few firm nods. Glancing briefly over at Demyx against his will, seeing it echoed in him, he couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of Hollow Bastion fighting back.

Then Sora had to ruin it by piping up, "But, shouldn't we have been doing that all along, Xigbar? The whole reason they're here is to see that we're all sticking to the safety guidelines and being properly cared for. If we pretend that we are when we actually _aren't_, then that defeats… the purpose of…" His head swivelled. Eyes were everywhere, every set glaring into him, without exception, not even the older girls that normally leapt to the kid's defence. Yuffie's hands clapped down on his shoulders.

"Sora." She sounded almost kind. "Who's been putting these ideas in your head, kid?" She lowered her face down near his, smiling encouragingly. "Okay, so maybe things aren't ideal – but this is the best we can all do, right? Things haven't been _safe _since Zanarkand and Ivalice decided it was a good idea to start killing this place for the crime of being neutral, you know?" Her grip tightened on him. "I thought everyone knew this stuff, you shouldn't be thinking any differently – not unless there's someone feeding these words to you. So, who is it, huh?"

All of a sudden, the gazes pinning him grew more intense. There wasn't a single member of the castle that didn't now know about Sora and his fresh obsession with this goddamn imaginary friend – magical, whatever – and every mind instantly snapped to the same dawning realisation.

"He's… real, isn't he?" Tidus uttered wonderingly, making Yuffie glance over curiously. "This friend of yours – he really _is _real. And – when I told you I was going to get your friend during the snowball fight…?"

"He actually ran off and literally warned the guy?" Paine's arms were folded, her odd-coloured eyes squinting speculatively. She turned them to an increasingly nervous Sora. "Kid? What's going on? This new friend of yours – he's really the one telling you all this stuff? It's not like you _used _to be pro-Zanarkand."

For once, Sora was clamming the hell up on the subject of his magical friend, and the expressions around him grew sharply darker. "Sora…" Axel started, warningly.

"Forget it right now," Rinoa broke in, acting as lookout at the back. "We haven't got time to stand around persecuting Sora, okay? Xigbar, finish up, then all of you get into your teams and remember where your loyalties lie." She cut Sora a piercing look._ "Remember."_

Looking displeased, Xigbar informed the other half of the group that they'd be outside cutting wood for the first part of the morning while Rinoa's gang was transporting steel, before Luxord led a repair workshop in one of the outer courtyards for both groups. It was something he had been meaning to do for a while, but – between one thing and another, none of them had found time yet. It looked like all they'd _have _was time, now, though – how many borderline illicit activities were going to be struck off over the next three days? Thank God it wouldn't be longer.

"Which groups are they going with, anyway?" Rikku asked, before they could be dismissed. "The officials – who gets who?"

Selphie broke in instantly, growling, "I am _not _working with that woman. Rinoa's group gets Scarlet, we get Reeve. I'll end up peeling strips off of that… lovely lady… if I'm near her too long."

Rinoa's smile crinkled with reluctant understanding, shaking her head. "Okay, fine." She sombred a little, adding, "But be careful of that Reeve guy – he's way too nice."

Selphie snorted, flipped her hair. "I can handle _that _guy. I just put on the super-sweet act and jabber endlessly, and he spends all his time trying to pay proper attention so he doesn't seem rude."

Xigbar clapped her shoulder with a guffaw. "That's my little girlie! Take care, dudes and dudettes – don't let them under your skin, 'kay?" He swung an arm, getting walking, shouting, "Rinoa's group, follow your skinny butts down this way, I've got gloves and shit to give you."

As the steps of the others faded away, Selphie's group turned to look at her accusingly. "Why, oh _why, _do we always get the sucky jobs?" Tidus demanded. "I mean, wood-chopping, Selph? What, did you lose a bet and Rinoa got all the good ones for the next month?"

Yuffie smacked the back of his head, making him yell. "Stop being a bitch," she scolded, "we all have to do our part."

"Okay, _first, _you don't even _live here," _the blond complained, "and second, why the hell is everyone smacking _me _lately?" He rubbed his hair unhappily. "I mean, is it just me, or does life suck right now?"

Axel pulled a thin, bitter smile. "Tidus, buddy. Life always sucked. You're just only now catching on. Me… I could do with the exercise." He set off in the direction of the wood-chopping yard, already thickly dressed, in the same clothing he'd had to strip off last night and lay aside. It still stung, and walking the hallways in broad daylight, knowing that it would be so easy to just go grab a bike and go, wasn't making things any easier.

The others joined him, the clump of them moving quietly through the corridors until the temperature started rapidly dropping towards the extremities of the castle.

It was as they reached the gate that the Zanarkand official finally arrived, hailing them from the opposite end of the long hallway, jogging breathlessly to catch up, smiling brightly at them all. "Thank you for waiting," he said, clapping gloved hands together with a show of enthusiasm that earned a few raised brows, exchanged glances. Selphie twisted her hands together, tilted her head back and smiled sweetly back at him.

"Oh, it's no problem, Reeve. We'll just be cutting wood for the fires this morning, it's a job that never ends! Will you be helping us, or just watching?"

The man's brows jumped a little. "Cutting wood?" He laughed slightly. "I hadn't even considered such things, but of course, in this chilly place it would be vital. Oh, no, I'll definitely help out. I was expecting to sit by and watch you all fiddle with computers, that sort of thing – but this, I can do."

"Oh, no, we rarely get to actually interact with the computers," Selphie said, unlocking the heavy gate and pushing it open, letting in a sharp gust of coldness and snowflakes. "It's all so delicate, Luxord and DiZ only teach us in small tutorial groups, sometimes one-on-one, so nothing is damaged by carelessness or crowding." She then added, "Oh, and I think DiZ has even scheduled an eventual lesson in fine mechanics from Shalua, who helps to maintain the life-support system."

Reeve faltered, not speaking for a long moment, pausing in his steps. "…Life – support?"

Selphie smiled thinly at him. "Of course, Reeve. We know that Zanarkand knows about Twilight Town these days, and being a computer simulation, there are certain requirements that those inside need met." She laughed, a false sort of sound to the youths that knew her so well. "Of course, DiZ couldn't say anything at the time, you would have stopped us – but it's worked out for the best." As the wind swirled around them, boots exiting out onto wet cement, she added quietly, "Imagine a thousand homeless war-orphans out in _this, _Mister Tuesti. This castle and its overseers aren't cut out for that sort of scale operation."

The blue-coated man hesitated, brown eyes passing over the barrenly icy courtyard, the battened-down mountains of dry wood under bright blue tarpaulins. The sky, over their heads, was thick, promising yet more snow. "…No, I suppose you're quite right."

"What is done with the homeless children in Zanarkand?" she asked suddenly. They had all stopped, their boots scrunching on the pavement, eyes suddenly all focused solely on the tall man in their midst. He froze for a long moment, and, by the looks of it, afterwards wished he hadn't.

"We do what we can for them, Miss Tilmitt," he said, his baritone soft. "That's all we _can _do."

"And now, you're here to do what you can for Hollow Bastion." She stated it so simply, so… _emptily, _and it hung in the air between them. Despite what she'd said before about the happy-happy act, it seemed that, for a brief moment, it had slipped. Whatever these peoples' intentions… it suddenly seemed hollow of intention. They had known it already, but this – this was Selphie letting him _know _that they knew. Reeve, for his part, looked faintly uneasy.

"Yes. We are."

"You care about us? About our welfare?" she pressed. She darted a quick glance around, smiled slightly, added, "If that's the case, then we should consider ourselves lucky. We've already suffered so much because of the war. It's about time someone started looking out for us."

_Ouch. _Axel's mood lifted slightly at the look on Tuesti's face – he'd just received a sharp kick in the gut, and though it only lasted the most momentary of seconds, her words had stabbed. So – the guy at least had enough conscience to realise that he was being a class-act asshole. He was the _bad _guy in all this, and it didn't look like he enjoyed that sensation. Who knew Selphie could fight so dirty?

Axel reached out, squeezed her shoulder, shot her a wink out of sight of the official, to which the corners of her mouth quirked. "I'll grab an axe and get started," he offered, releasing and stepping past her, heading for the protected rack of tools.

"Remember protection for the hands, people," the girl said loudly after them. "Gloves are in the same place as always, the big box beside the axes."

Axel made a beeline for the box, as if it had been his initial destination. It wasn't _all _poor planning and care on DiZ's behalf – these gloves had always been around, but with the profusion of spiders that made their way into the dark fingers during the warmer weather, the gloves had become distinctly unpopular among the youths of the castle; even Xigbar had freaked out a little when he'd squished one with his index finger after tugging the material on particularly hard one time.

Donning the thick, rough gloves, Axel bent and untied the heavy covering over the axes, Tidus joining him a moment later to help, the two of them making short work of it. Quietly, the blond muttered, "So, what's up with you and Demyx, anyway? He looked miserable at breakfast. You know why I'm pissed at Sora – 's only fair you return the favour. Helps the inter-group relations if we're sharing our hate stories about those bastards in Rinoa's one."

Axel stood sharply, wrenching the thick, brown, leathery cover away, revealing the dull glint of metal, sharp edges, some of the handles looking worse for wear, but useable enough. "It doesn't matter," the redhead said dismissively. "We're just cutting wood, right?" He grabbed the topmost tool, hefted it and took it over to where Paine and a black-haired boy were unveiling one of the woodpiles. A series of stumps were dragged out, the motions of the castle's wards as efficient out here as they had been in the second basement with the violet-washing; after five years, tasks like this were like dressing yourself each day. They had been splitting logs for four and a half years, before any of them should've rightfully been wielding anything anywhere near as dangerous as axes – but, to coin a phrase, desperate times called for desperate measures. None of them felt like they'd been taken advantage of.

Reeve Tuesti stood to one side, watching with faint bemusement as they all snapped from the ragtag group of adolescents they had resembled only minutes earlier, becoming hardened workers without complaint. Quickly, the wood was divided among them, teamwork reducing the amount of running around, and it was barely five minutes before the first splinterings of steel through wood were thunking out dully through the cold, still air.

The man did eventually join them, Axel noticed at one point, after a while of tuning out the world, hacking apart one log after another, focusing on creating a decent collection of kindling, knowing that the other were more interested in just splitting the wood apart into chunks. As the one with the most fire-starter knowledge among them, it was down to Axel to create the balance between the hunks and splinters. Tuesti was working hard, which came as something of a surprise to Axel, while at the same time kind of – not. He wasn't altogether surprised at the display – Reeve might as well have jumped up and down, waving his arms over his head and shouting, _"Look at me, I'm just like you dumb kids, trust me and tell me your secrets!" _But, he had to admit, the guy was more capable than he'd have willingly given him credit for. His pile was… decent.

Axel sighed a puff of steamy air, swung the axe overhead, burying its blade into the stump, shards of wood shooting out awkwardly. Cursing, he leaned back, wrenched it free, spat suddenly, _"Stupid _DiZ!" It was as if it had bubbled up from the depths of his subconscious, having churned and boiled there for the past twenty-four hours, since he'd first been turned away from the man's door. And then there was the ridiculousness of last night, and Demyx's weird, aggravating behaviour… Axel kicked another piece of wood into line, smashed the axe down hard, snarling, _"Stupid _Demyx!"

"Whoa, there, tiger," Rikku warned from the left. When he glanced over irately, she jerked her head faintly in Tuesti's direction. Green eyes flicked over, to find hazel lowering sharply, a placid expression hurrying to arrange itself on his features. Axel scowled, muttered, "Stupid Zanarkand."

"Chill," Rikku urged softly, her collection of beads and braids for the moment hidden away inside a thick, grey hat. "You want him to target you, or what?"

Axel placed the axe down, grabbed the pieces of new wood, threw them onto a growing pile. "Do I _care _if he does?" he growled back. "God only knows it'd give me the opportunity to feed him misinformation, so why the hell not?" He kicked one difficult log back onto the pile from where it had tumbled, grabbing up a crude one and balancing it bad-temperedly on his stump. The physical activity was helping a bit, yeah, but it was also stirring up all the darker stuff, bringing his anger to the surface. He'd need at least another two hours of hard labour before he sweated it out, and he doubted Selphie would let him go for that long.

As he lifted the axe again, ready to resume movement, Rikku's gloved hand closed tightly around his forearm, stopping him sharply. He looked over with a glare, ready to snap at her – stopping at the sight of her awed, excited expression. Leaning in close, she hissed, _"That's it!" _

Green eyes narrowed grumpily. "What is?"

She shook his arm impatiently, saying, "Don't you get it, potato-head? If you go around cursing DiZ and stuff, that guy might come after you for answers!"

"_And?" _

"And you can feed him misinformation, _duh," _she whispered fiercely, glowering. She poked him sharply in the collar. "Don't sink so far into your own sulking that you can't see a golden opportunity right in front of you, dummy."

Leaning back on his heels, Axel eyed her speculatively. "There's no guarantee he would."

She rolled her eyes. "No shit, smarty-pants, but it gives you a chance, at least, _right?"_

"_You two! Axel and Rikku!"_ Selphie's voice soared across the courtyard, the pair twisting to see her straighten, wiping at her forehead._ "Taking a break, or slacking off?"_

Rikku jumped high in the air, waved wildly, yelled, _"Slacking off, sorry! We'll get right back to work!" _

"What would I tell him?" Axel grumbled, taking his time lifting the axe, feeling its heft. She shrugged, sighing with exasperation.

"I don't know, we can talk about it, though, can't we? Later on? Isn't it at least worth a _shot?" _

The two got back to chopping, the even, splintering noises amplified by the high stone walls. Axel considered the idea, feeding misinformation to the Zanarkand officials – they were here to dig for it, after all, weren't they? Who said it had to be _accurate? _The redhead pondered, he split wood, he kept an eye on Tuesti, and noticed Tuesti in turn keeping an eye on him.

_Isn't it at least worth a _shot?

…It'd take a group effort, but… if everyone was _willing… _it just might've been possible.

And, quite frankly, he was in the mood to do something malicious; the thought of sending those vultures home with shoddy info was growing more and more appealing by the moment.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sorry for this one taking a little while to finish! It seems the gap between stories lengthens further each time, but it's all in the name of trying to remove the hooks from one plot and sink them into the next :) So I thank you all for your continuing patience, it means a lot to me!

--

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Exactly what kind of 'misinformation' did you have in mind?" Paine asked sceptically, splayed fingers holding her head up as she leaned an elbow on the thick arm of her chair.

They were in the library, in the period of time that stretched before dinner, having completed their day's tasks. Sora was the only one being excluded, having proven himself abruptly untrustworthy in the eyes of his peers. The small group of teens had sprawled themselves in front of one of the secreted fireplaces, Axel on his knees on the hearth as he fed wood into it. Anyone else wandering the stacks would have a hard time of hearing them, unless eavesdropping was their goal, and Axel was more than prepared to beat the crap out of anyone that tried to interfere uninvited.

"I mean," the short-haired girl continued, "so this Reeve guy thinks you hate DiZ now, right? What're going to do, tell him DiZ beats us with spare machine parts? Doesn't exactly benefit us, guys."

"No, no, we've talked about this a little already," Rikku excitedly told her. "Axel just has to act all sad and lonely, and the guy's bound to approach him, right?"

"You think so?" Tidus asked doubtfully.

"They're here to dig up dirt on DiZ, remember?" Axel reminded him. "We've packed away anything incriminating, so their only real hope is for some of us to tell them about some of the more dangerous conditions we've headed into."

"But we're all too loyal for our own good," Paine said dryly.

Larxene, lounging on the long sofa, taking the entire thing up herself, snorted. "More like, we've all got a vested interest in keeping the place running."

"Either way," Axel said, "no one's going to talk, right?"

"Except for maybe Sora," Tidus muttered, sinking into his battered chair. Demyx, perched on the arm beside him, glanced down anxiously.

"I don't think Sora will do anything _deliberately…" _he said uncertainly. "He's just – little and misguided."

"By someone no one even knows," Larxene pointed out. "We really need to find whatever sick fuck's been poisoning that shrimp's mind and tear him a new one."

"Larxene, ever the contributor of sensible plans," Axel sighed, leaning forward to work some kindling into the dimming flames. She levered up onto an elbow, blue eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Okay, then, why don't you tell us _your _great plan?" She then gave an airheaded giggle, fingers fluttering at her mouth. "Oh, that's right, you did, and it was _shit." _Scowling, she dropped back onto the cushions. "Like Paine said, what the fuck kind of good is it going to do us to tell them stuff that isn't true?"

"It's not about _us," _Rikku broke in, exasperated. "Come on, you guys, let us at least get it out before you throw it back in our faces, okay?" When no further arguments were made, she took a breath, beads clicking, and calmly continued, "Okay, so, the plan in our heads isn't about the sowing of misinformation, exactly – more like totally pummelling that Reeve guy's credibility."

Interest was piqued. "Oh, yes?" Paine's eyebrows had risen, reluctantly curious. "In what way?"

"I act all sad, he comes over, I make friends with him and tell him some weird and wild stories," Axel explained, glaring into the fireplace as the wood was slow to catch. Grabbing up the poker, he jabbed the flames a couple times. "He gets it in his head that we're being mistreated, goes running to confront DiZ, and when DiZ comes to see what the hell is going on, I innocently sit with you guys and wonder what his problem is."

"DiZ could file a complaint about him or something," Rikku suggested brightly. "No one'll believe him after that, even if he finds anything!"

"Uh-huh." Paine sounded unimpressed. "And you don't think this could, oh, say, _backfire _on us just slightly?"

"Knowing DiZ," Tidus complained, "he'll believe it when Reeve tells him that Axel's the source of it."

"Hey, even if he does," Axel said flatly, "it's not like it'd be the first time I got into trouble, right? And it'd still make Tuesti look bad, for having believed me in the first place." He turned, shooting the assemblage a hard smile. "Maybe it'll stop them all pretending like this is about us, and prove that they're here to bury DiZ."

There was a pause, as the group seriously considered the idea. Hesitantly, Demyx raised his hand a little. "I'm – not happy with the thought of Axel…"

"Oh, can it, Dem," the redhead snapped. "I'm sure it'll make your day to see me get into hot water. Wouldn't want to deprive you of it twice in a row."

Looking stung, the blond's teeth clicked shut, as he shrank up into himself. Larxene let out an impressed whistle. "The tension," she relished, "you could cut it with a _knife." _

Axel scowled. "You can shut up, too."

The incorrigible blonde let out a cat's meow, raking her nails tauntingly in his direction.

With a sigh, Paine asked, "So what do you want from us, anyway? You guys sound like you've made up your minds about it. All you need is for the rest of us to play along and say, 'Axel would _never _tell lies like that!', right?"

"Never _ever," _Tidus added, with a roll of the eyes.

"We also need to all be ready if Reeve comes to us asking questions," Rikku pointed out. "We all need to prepare and get our stories straight. I mean, if he comes and is all," she affected a man's baritone, "'I hear that Axel kid doesn't have any friends', we need to all be able to go, 'Hey, you're right, he sucks!' without batting an eyelid, you know?"

"I'm sure it'll be a stretch, kids, but you know, acting and all," Axel muttered, shoving some more wood into the fire. Larxene laughed, Demyx squirming unhappily beside Tidus.

"So, you're doing this because you think you can undermine the underminer?" Paine surmised, that same note of scepticism lingering in her tone.

"It's worth a shot, right?" Rikku echoed from her previous argument in the wood-chopping yard. "It's better than just sitting on our hands and trying to not do anything stupid!"

"Yeah, because this doesn't seem stupid at _all," _the girl responded dryly. "It's a paragon of well thought out maturity."

"You don't have to be part of it," Axel muttered. "Just don't screw it up for the rest of us."

Letting out a sigh, Paine swivelled her gaze to him with some frustration. "You're seriously in that much of a rush to get someone to yell at you? Because, hey, I could indulge us both right here and now."

"…I'm in," Tidus said after several beats of general silence, during which the wood crackled quietly in the fireplace. "I like Sora, he's a good kid – but this Zanarkand bullshit has gone too far. He sure as hell wasn't saying stuff like that _before _they got here."

"So, what, revenge?" Paine asked dubiously. "And remember, the kid was talking about his magic friend before we even knew they were coming."

"If you're so against it, leave already," Axel said sharply over his shoulder.

"I'm just playing devil's advocate," she replied mildly. "Never said I wasn't for it; I simply want to make sure we all know where we stand."

"You all stand on the sidelines watching me get chewed out by DiZ," the redhead shot back. "That's our worst-case scenario."

"Worst-case scenario is more like, Reeve goes home to Zanarkand without speaking a word to DiZ, and the next thing we know, soldiers are evacuating the castle."

"Oh, come on!" He banged the poker down, twisted and glared at her. "I'm not going to say anything _that _bad! I just want him to get his panties in a knot and go to find out what the hell is going on!"

"Example?" Paine prompted.

Axel opened his mouth, mind sprinting. "…Example…" He grinned suddenly. "Luxord trains us in the art of gambling, and sends us down to the city every month without DiZ's knowledge to swindle the soldiers. That way, Tuesti'd go to tell DiZ the truth, right?"

There was a long pause, filled with the low hiss of building flames.

"Example," Tidus suggested. "Xigbar tells us all we're ugly and unlovable, we'd never make it in the real world on our own."

Larxene cawed with laughter, the toes of her boots tapping together in applause. "That'd be rich coming from the Cyclops!"

"…Example," Demyx said softly, feet drawn up onto the arm of the chair, toes scraping together slowly. "We were never allowed to properly grieve our families, and we're considered a liability to our jobs if we try."

There was a lull, as all eyes turned towards him. "…Yeah," Rikku said gradually. "That could be one. It's a bit of a tear-jerker, which should sucker him into it."

Axel's green eyes stared hard at the blond, who was gazing at the floor with a disheartened expression.

"Example," Larxene was saying, "DiZ is training us to be fighters – if we want to be in it, we have to prove our strength by hurting each other in supervised battles!"

Eyes rolled. "Yeah, coz _that's _not sadistic or anything," Tidus said.

"Jeeze, Larxene, I'm surprised that _you'd _suggest something like that."

"Shut the fuck up, you know it's genius!"

"Well," Paine sighed, "I guess that's that, then – sounds like everyone's in on it, and I'm not going to be the one to dig her heels in. All for one, and all sorts of crap like that."

"Yay, Paine!" Rikku hugged her around the neck happily. "By the time they go home, they won't know _what _to believe!"

Frowning, Axel dug some more at the fire, the poker growing warm in his hands.

--

During dinner, Axel sat on his own. All around him, the regular hum and chatter of conversation took place, voices and clattering and noise coming from every table. He could hear his friends not too far off, being slightly louder than usual, no doubt to cover whatever nerves were sparking as they tried to not continually glance in Reeve Tuesti's direction. The man had to be phenomenally dense when it came to ESP, because Axel was certain that at least six minds were simultaneously urging him to hurry the hell up and start noticing the pitiable redhead. Jesus, it wasn't like he didn't stick out.

But, no. The official was doing what he did best – listening to Selphie jabber on about inconsequential bullshit he probably didn't even understand. Axel's appreciation for her tactics was dwindling rapidly in the face of a lonely, boring dinner.

Plus, he couldn't get Demyx's words out of his head. He didn't want them there – he needed some distraction.

He sighed loudly, playing with his food. He was hungry enough, but he had to stretch this out. His friends, to counteract this, were shovelling it down as fast as they could, hoping to leave him high and dry and aching for a friendly face to make it all better.

At last, salvation came in the form of Rinoa. Noticing his solitary plight, she frowned, nudged Selphie, who shut her goddamn cake-hole for enough time to draw breath and allow Reeve the opportunity to look around. Scarlet, in fact, had already actually noticed him. Not concerned with playing the role of the good guest, she had already finished her food, and her cold eyes had zeroed in on him.

After a briefly whispered conversation with Rinoa, Selphie excused herself and stood, coming over with a frown. _Damn it! _

Axel forced a smile as she approached. "Axel, what's up? How come you're sitting here by yourself?"

"Oh, you know…" The redhead trailed off. Eyebrows rising, the girl sat across from him, gaze darting over to where his usual group had finished choking down their meal and were now efficiently evacuating the dining hall. Paine wore an expression of great exasperation.

"Well, as informative as that was," she said sarcastically, "actually, I _don't _know." She propped her chin on her knuckles. "How come you're here, and everyone you usually hang with is over there and leaving rapidly?"

There was no way Selphie would go along with the plan. She was one of DiZ's people – one of the war-orphans, sure, but also a leader for them, in charge of their behaviour. She'd never countenance this sort of plot; and even if for some reason she _did, _she'd then have to let Rinoa in on it, and Rinoa would _point-blank flat-out not agree. _

Axel sighed, affected mournfulness and hoped to hell that she wouldn't see straight through him. "Oh, well… I'm just – not as popular these days, Selph. I don't know, the others don't like me much."

The brunette snorted. "Yeah, sure. Like Demyx would ever abandon you."

Axel's expression stilled a little. "I'm not talking to Demyx right now," he said dully. This, at least, was true enough to make an impact. She blinked, head cocking slightly to the side. Her eyes went to follow the last of them exiting the hall, lips pursing. Gradually, some kind of comprehension dawned. "Oh, I see what's going on here," she said knowingly. Axel held his breath. "You and Dem had a fight, but _you're _the one in the wrong, right?"

Automatically flaring, the redhead bit off, _"No, _I'm not in the wrong, I just wanted to –"

He stopped abruptly, Selphie adopting a knowing smirk. "Right. Not in the wrong. Sure, Axel." Then she sighed, drummed her fingers on the table's metal surface. She gestured to his plate. "Look, if you're planning to actually eat all that, why don't you come sit with us? I'm not going to just leave you here, and Rinoa _sucks _at keeping Tuesti occupied."

Well… if this wasn't just a golden opportunity. Someone was evidently smiling on Axel and his and Rikku's plan.

Showing reluctance, keeping his expression sulky, the redhead contained his glowing triumph and gathered his plate and utensils, trailing after Selphie as she grinningly returned to their table. "Hel-lo again," she sang. "Hope you didn't miss me!" As Axel arrived, she announced, "Reeve, Scarlet, this is Axel. He'll be sitting with us for the rest of dinner." As a highly audible aside, she added to the Zanarkand officials, "He's having some problems with his usual crowd, an argument of some kind. I couldn't stand to leave him sitting there like that."

The best thing they'd ever done was not recruit Selphie into the plan.

Reeve, hazel eyes warm, drew out the empty seat beside his. "Axel, come sit beside me, if you want to. You were part of Selphie's work group today, weren't you?"

Wordlessly, the boy nodded, sat beside the man and held his utensils over his plate. However, as the rest of the table resumed eating, Axel just stared miserably at his food. Darting him a frowning glance, Rinoa made a small gesture with her head, encouraging him to get going. Her subtle glance over towards Reeve was enough to let Axel know that whatever problems he was suffering, they needed to be sugar-coated in the presence of the agents.

Sighing shortly, glad he didn't actually have any _real _emotional issues, the redhead began picking at his food, pushing it through his lips in a show of reluctance, though his hunger demanded more. Reeve couldn't help but notice and kindly ask, "Do you think the argument with your friends will be resolved any time soon?"

"…Probably not," the redhead muttered. "It's not like any of them cares about me anyway."

"Axel! What are you talking about?" Rinoa demanded from across the table. "Of course they care about you – everybody does!"

Axel's head sank a little, eyes fixed on his plate, heart thumping a little. "Sure, Rinoa," he said softly. He continued eating, and didn't speak again for the duration of the meal. Whenever Selphie, Reeve or Rinoa tried engaging his attention, he grunted, shrugged them off, and kept to himself. Scarlet, naturally, didn't even attempt to communicate. He was beginning to see why Reeve tried so damn hard.

At last, when he sensed the meal coming to a close, he carefully placed his knife and fork down, pressed his hands between his thighs, and asked, eyes averted, "Can I please – leave the table?"

Fighting a strong frown, Selphie said, "Of course, Axel. You know you don't have to ask… If you're not feeling well, you could always go ask Luxord for something to help."

"No, I – I feel fine," the redhead answered quietly. "I just… yeah. I'm going to go to the library, and… tend to the fires." He stood. "Sorry I wasn't more polite," he added to Reeve and Scarlet. Then, tucking his hands into his sleeves, shoulders hunching, he turned and quickly left the hall.

He kept up the façade, the hang-dog expression, the dragging heels, until he reached the end of the passageway and turned the corner – then his head lifted, he took a breath, glanced over his shoulder. Confident that the coast was clear, he broke into a run, knowing he had to get to the library and get settled before Selphie or Rinoa came to investigate – or, worse, Luxord or Xigbar. He didn't want anyone just sending him to bed with a command to pull himself together and get over it.

When he reached the library, the others were there, gathered around the main fireplace. He stopped short, panting, their eyes turning to him with blank surprise. "Get the hell out," he hissed, frantically flapping his hands at them. Then, in a lightning change of mind, he gasped, "No, stay right the hell there! I'll take the fire under the stairs!"

"A – Axel?" Demyx called after him. The redhead waved him off sharply, disappearing through the stacks, leaving the group blinking at one another.

It was about ten minutes before Xigbar arrived, single eye intent as he stopped in front of them all. "Hey, kids. Where's Axel? Seen him around?"

There was a brief, tense silence, which Larxene broke by airily saying, "Why should we care where the fuckwit is?"

All heads swivelled to her, eyes wide for a moment, before the cue was taken. The group of teens relaxed, looked everywhere but at Xigbar, Rikku agreeing, "We don't really know what Axel's doing with himself these days."

"We don't have an interest," Paine added dully. Glaring, Xigbar turned to Demyx.

"Dem? What's going on? Axel's your best friend, isn't he?"

The blond hesitated, a collective round of breaths being held as they waited to see whether this was going to work or go up in flames in a single instant.

Demyx sighed. "…I'm not his best friend, Xiggy. Roxas is. Roxas in Twilight Town…" He smiled weakly, not glancing up. "How can I compare to someone like that?"

A stillness fell over them all, as the slight quaver in his voice rang true. Rikku let out a small noise of dismay. "Oh, he didn't _say _that to you… did he?"

"And you see why we want nothing to do with him," Paine said dismissively. "We didn't reject him, Xigbar – he rejected us."

Scowling, the man hovered for a moment, indecisively. "You haven't seen him, then? He was meant to be coming here."

"We saw him," Larxene said blithely, a leg hooked over the arm of her chair, the toe of the other one tapping idly on the hard ground. "We just don't care where he went."

Letting out a frustrated grunt, the man muttered, "I swear to God, you kids, if those Zanarkand officials weren't around…"

"What, you'd threaten it out of us with your gun?" Tidus piped up. He clapped a few times, rolling his eyes. "Man, that's fantastic, Xigbar, I'm sure there's absolutely _no _good reason that Child Services would ever take us away."

"We feel so safe with you around," Larxene added sweetly, lips pursed, eyes narrowed. Xigbar flipped them off.

"All of you, snap out of it. If you want to hate each other, save it for when it doesn't reflect badly on the rest of us, capiche?"

"Ugh, yes, _sir," _Rikku saluted.

"Let's not push our luck," Paine advised neutrally. Her eyes settled calmly on Xigbar. "We'll keep our hostility to a minimum – but we can't control Axel's actions, and we don't know where he is."

Xigbar eyed them all off for a long moment, suspiciously displeased. "Tch. Fine. But if you see that little fucker, tell him to quit with the moping, he's attracting attention to himself."

Suppressing a smile, Rikku said, "Will do, Xiggy."

"Don't – fuckin' call me that." He pointed at her, then Demyx, then backed off a couple steps and turned on heel, stalking back out of the massive library.

Axel heard him go. He had listened to the rumble of his voice with trepidation, hurriedly insinuating himself in front of the fire they had been lounging around earlier, trying to be mid-task in case the man tried forcing him to leave. But whatever the others had said, without even needing prompting, had obviously worked a charm.

He relaxed a little, slowed down his motions, paying closer attention to the flames. So, Selphie or Rinoa had asked Xigbar to come slap some sense into him. Xigbar had made straight for the library. Surely Reeve couldn't be far behind, if he was any decent kind of mole.

Axel continued to tend to the fire, listening to the faint murmurs of his friends, and the few others that were searching for a book to read before curfew. All in all, the redhead estimated that two lonely hours had passed by the time someone came looking for him. Huddled on the hearth, chin on his knees as he stared blindly into the flames, he blinked and looked up as Demyx appeared from between the stacks. Uneasily, he eyed Axel, who stared flatly back. "We're all, uh, going to bed now," the blond informed him. "Are you – staying?"

Axel grunted, turned back to the fire. "For a while. He's probably biding his time or something."

"Right," Demyx said quickly. "…Right."

"That is, as long as you didn't send him a message ahead of time warning him off," the redhead added, wearily scathing. Demyx's eyes narrowed a little.

"No. I didn't."

"You're right," Axel muttered. "That's probably more a Sora thing to do, these days."

"Sora hasn't done anything wrong," Demyx frowned. "Don't bring him into this just because he's being influenced by… well, _someone."_

"Is that someone _you, _Dem?"

With a sigh, the blond rolled his eyes. "Sure, Axel. I'm his 'magical friend', and because I do _one thing _you don't like, that suddenly makes me pro-Zanarkand, as well."

"One thing I don't like? That's how you're viewing it?" Axel's voice, though the words themselves were sharp, was quiet. "Fine. Fuck off, then. Go and comfort yourself with the fact that I'm such an asshole, I decide to hate your guts over 'one thing'. One little, itsy-bitsy _thing." _

Demyx flinched, expression dropping. "You hate me?"

Picking at the stiff rubber soles of his boots, Axel muttered, "Go away, Dem. I'm waiting for Reeve."

Slowly, Demyx left.

Axel spent another hour in place, lips crushed against one knee, green eyes trained on the fire, watching the flames ebb and burn, the large log glowing brightly, exuding enough heat to lightly bake at his skin. When he heard the sound of cautious footfalls approaching, he let out a breath, hugging his legs and expectantly, tiredly waiting for Reeve to hurry the hell up and come take advantage of him.

It was Luxord that appeared. "Axel?" The redhead froze. The man stood at the entryway to the small alcove, arms folded, a concerned, exasperated expression in place. "So, you're here after all. We've been looking for you for a while, you know."

Axel grunted, turned his face away.

"Selphie and Rinoa have been worried about you. They say you're horribly depressed over an argument with your friends." He took a few steps, sat in one of the large armchairs that had been set up, the one Rikku and Paine had been sharing before dinner. Gusting a sigh, he laced his fingers over his stomach and crossed his legs. "Do you feel like elucidating on the matter, or is this one of those 'teen angst' things I've heard so much about?"

"You're not my _therapist,_ Luxord," the redhead grumbled.

"Good Lord, no," the man agreed idly. "One good, long look at the inside of your head, and I'm sure I'd go screaming for the hills. Goodness knows the outside of it is chaotic enough." As Axel seethed, he continued, "I merely want to know what problem is so severe that it interferes with the utter illusion we're feeding to the Child Services agents of what a lovely, happy family we all are."

Axel laughed bitterly. "Oh, is _that _what we're trying to achieve?"

Luxord sighed. "Alright, out with it. What's so terrible that it's got you acting this way?"

Axel was silent for a while, mind churning. This was exactly the kind of discussion he was meant to be having with _Reeve. _And this was the point where he was supposed to start moaning and complaining and bullshitting to the best of his ability about how terrible life was in the castle.

Funny thing was, though, that life really did suck right now. Being alone only made it worse. It was like he was falling hard into his own act, and at this point in time, he didn't quite know how to claw his way out of it. It was too easy to be this unhappy.

"It's none of your business," the teen muttered. Luxord nodded at this, as if he'd been expecting it.

"That's all well and good," he allowed, "but the fact remains that curfew has passed. You need to go on to bed now, Axel. Save your misery at least for the morning." He then smiled. "Things do get better, you know."

Axel snuffed a laugh. "Do you actually believe that, with the way everything's turned out for us?" he asked. "Or is it just something pretty DiZ taught you to say?"

There was a brief silence from Luxord. "Go to bed," he said at last, neutrally. As Axel rose with a heavy, dissatisfied exhalation, the man added, "See you in the morning, bright and early."

Axel ignored him, shuffled out through the shelves, books of various size and colour passing unnoticed on either side. More than anything, he was disheartened by the fact that their glorious little plan had failed virtually before it had begun. The Zanarkand officials were going to be staying only for one more night after this one, at which point, anything Axel tried to tell them would be useless. Reaching the main lounging area, the fire banked down for the night, he found the seats cold after the hour-long absence of his friends.

He was beginning to regret the birth of this plot – how much easier would it be to just let it go, leave it alone, and send the officials back with what little crappy information they could gather? It had seemed like a good idea at the time – but Axel was getting bored. It was all well and good for Rikku to cheer about how great it sounded; _she _didn't have to alienate herself from everyone… Somehow, he was wondering if maybe this hadn't been so brilliantly thought through.

Footsteps carrying him through the cold halls, hands together and nails picking at each other, head lowered and occupied with distant thoughts, the redhead never heard the second set of boots pacing nearby. He turned the corner into the corridor he, Demyx, Tidus, Sora, and several others had rooms along, and knocked almost directly into the warm, blue-clad chest of Reeve Tuesti. "Whoa there!" the mellow voice exclaimed, as Axel let out a yelp and flailed. Calm hands descended on the teen's shoulders, steadying him as he stumbled, Reeve lowering himself to meet Axel's wide-eyed gaze. "Hey, there – didn't mean to startle you."

Gasping in a breath, head lowering to the side, heart thundering, the redhead demanded, "What are you doing here, Zanarkand?" He was loathe to admit just how much the random appearance had startled him. It took every ounce of self-control to not slam the guy in the gut, settle a few silent scores while he was at it.

"Well… actually, I was looking for you, Axel." Reeve gave him an encouraging sort of smile, head tilting to the side. "I asked after you, and no one seemed to quite know where you were, so I dedicated myself to the effort of tracking you down."

The redhead paused, some of the agitated, restless energy leaking out of him. His disappointment ground to a hesitant halt, mid-trickle down his chest, where he hadn't known it had been oozing. Green eyes flicked up for an instant, meeting kind brown, before darting down again, forehead creasing. "…Oh."

The gentle hands squeezed him. "Are you alright? Does anyone know you're here?"

Scowling, Axel couldn't help but tug free. "Don't act as if you actually care, Zanarkand." Sighing, he continued the act, "No one cares about me."

Saying it over and over like this – it was taking its toll. It wasn't such a huge lie, in the end, was it? He was just one war-orphan among many… He didn't even have a best friend anymore.

Reeve looked saddened. "I'm sure that's not true," he said softly. "I saw you talking to people today, and they seemed friendly enough with you."

"'Friendly' doesn't cut it, Mister Tuesti," the redhead responded sharply. "I don't know what it's like for you, but I need a lot more than friendly to be happy – and I doubt I'll ever get that, living in this stupid castle." Reeve drew back at the poison in the teen's words, and, all of a sudden, Axel was having trouble fighting off tears. "DiZ told us – he _told _us we'd get to see them, the people that we'd lost – my best friend, my sister…" Watery green eyes lifted, brows lowered severely. "But it was just a lie. If I could get them out of that computer and take them to a real home, I'd do in half a second. I want them _back, _and the only reason I'm here, _any _of us, is to make sure those people are taken care of." His shoulders hunched angrily, teeth baring. "So don't you talk to _me _about caring, or, or friendliness – I'm willing to bet you get plenty of both back home in the perfect fucking _Zanarkand."_ Screwing up his energy, his anger old and new, Axel spat, "Why can't you just leave us alone? Life here is hard enough without _you _nosing around, trying to make it worse! Stop trying to take us away from the only damn thing that's keeping us here in the first place!"

Reeve straightened, blinked at him, brows raised as he searched for a response. "…Well, I, uh…"

"Go on, say it." Axel waved a hand at him, overcome with sudden tiredness. "Tell me how wonderfully happy I'd be in Zanarkand or a foster home or just the hell away from DiZ. Tell me you're just 'trying to ensure we have proper childhoods'." He smiled thinly. "Come on, Reeve – try and tell me you're here for my benefit. I want to hear you say it out loud."

A long minute elapsed between them. The man hadn't even had a chance to cut in and derail the teen before he got too far, and somehow, along the way, it had morphed from 'the plan' in Axel's head, to a gush of bitterness that had been seething for days, weeks, months, years. The plan – it didn't really matter so much anymore. Fuck Reeve. Fuck his credibility.

Axel was going to bed.

He turned, shaking his head, and left the man standing there, still with no answer forthcoming. He didn't try to say the words Axel had dared him to – and neither did he try to deny the scorn in the boy's voice.

It seemed that Zanarkand had sent someone that didn't know how to lie to kids. Just went to prove how ultimately stupid an entire fucking nation could be.

--

A single candle was burning in Sora's room when Axel pushed the door carefully open. The brown-haired boy was curled beneath the blankets of his bed, tucked into a ball, slumbering soundly. The bed-sheets were already halfway to the floor, the redhead giving a slight sigh and moving to push them back over his body, working carefully around his deeply sleeping form. Sora shifted a little, but didn't wake, his youthful features smoothed-out and innocent-looking.

Drawing a breath, Axel bobbed down beside him, a couple of fingers nudging aside a spike of hair that fell across the boy's hidden blue eyes. He studied Sora, thinking back to when Sora's mother and Axel's used to meet, the way Axel's mother would exclaim over the similarities between Sora and Roxas. At the time, the red-haired boy couldn't figure out what they were talking about – the two boys were so _obviously _different. For one thing, Sora was more interested in playing with baby Kairi than with Axel. For another, their colouring was _completely _different, and Roxas was more compact and boyish.

Axel saw them both often these days, Roxas in the system, Sora in real life, and even up til now, he'd never drawn a line between them. Their personalities were just too different.

But, crouching here, watching the way the candlelight played mellow games along the planes of Sora's features… he could sort of see it. He could see it in the delicacy of the features, the set of the brows, the faint purse of the brunet's lips as he slept similar to the stubborn look Roxas so often sported.

With the Zanarkand officials around, Axel had been deprived his usual reminder of why he tried in this place, why he struggled alongside all the others to fit in and be useful. He'd been kept away, through one reason or another, from Roxas and Kairi, and wasn't scheduled to officially view them for another several weeks, according to DiZ's timetable. It was – eating at his nerves. He missed them desperately, all of a sudden, and the only time he felt capable of catching his breath was when he was looking at Sora, drinking in those blurred parallels.

Expression lost, he discarded his boots and climbed, fully clothed, into bed with Sora. Blue eyes cracked open faintly, rolling blearily for a moment. "Askel?"

"…Is it okay if we share?" the redhead whispered, heart jumping painfully at that small voice. "It's cold tonight."

Nodding loosely, Sora shifted to the wall, still half-asleep, eyes already slipping shut again. "Waited up f'r you," he murmured, before dropping back into dreams. Axel stared at him for a while, before turning over, blowing out the tall, slender flame on the melting wax, sending the room instantly into darkness. He shifted low under the covers, hesitated and cautiously crept an arm around Sora's small waist, feeling the boy's heat seep slowly to augment his own.

Sora let out a small noise, and cuddled in. Axel closed his eyes, and imagined it was Roxas he was holding – what he wouldn't have given to be able to hug his little friend. Kairi could sleep on the other bed, with the doll he had sent into Twilight Town just earlier in the week, and he and Roxas could share like this, could warm each other and sleep peacefully. Then they could wake in the morning and the three of them would have breakfast in the hall, they could go out and play in the snow… Axel wouldn't ever be too old for that sort of thing with Roxas.

They could all be happy together. And there would be no simulation; there would be no war; there would be no Zanarkand. There'd be no separation. Roxas and Demyx could make friends, Kairi could be babied by Rikku… It would work. It _could _work.

All Axel wanted, in all the world, was to have them again, as his own.

Falling asleep with wrenching sadness in his heart, longing scraping sharp, sweetly-coloured fingernails down the inside of his solar plexus, gave way to deep, black dreams of sunshine and distance. He dreamt that he was lying in bed hugging Sora, and it made his dream-self's heart break a little with hopelessness.

--

Small hands shook him awake at an unknown hour. Axel's eyes opened slowly, expecting to find Sora bent over him, stirring him for a new day feeling like he'd only had about two hours sleep to prepare for. However, the first thing he saw was the brunet in the same position he'd closed his eyes on, lips parted slightly as deep breaths puffed in and out of his narrow chest. It was just as dark as ever, and the slight scent of sulphur on the air lingered from the candle's wick, suggesting that it hadn't been that long in the scheme of the night since he'd extinguished it.

A voice whispered, "Sora, Sora, you've got t' wake up. I need t' ask about one of your friends."

Frowning, Axel slowly rolled over, squinting down at where the unfamiliar voice was coming from. There was a long pause. Then, "Ah," from the visitor. "You're – you're not Sora…"

The redhead's eyes adjusted, and he froze.

There was a cat standing next to the bed.

A cat with a crown and a handkerchief tied around its shoulders.

A talking. Fucking. Cat.

"Now, Axel," the creature said rationally, as the teen's green eyes shot wide. It didn't get another word in.

"Holy freaking _fuck!" _He lunged down as it scrambled to escape, seized its tail and a leg and proceeded to struggle as it thrashed and pushed at him.

Sora jumped awake with a start, sitting sharply and looking around with wild bewilderment, before scrambling over to the bedside drawer and striking a match. The flame flared, the brunet shrieked, _"Cait!" _and accidentally dropped it, the sudden light leaving blue spots in Axel's vision. Sora leapt onto the redhead's back, shouting, _"Leave Cait alone! Leave him alone, he's my friend!" _

Axel was already barrelling for the door, wrenching it open and throwing the three of them out into the brighter light of the hallway, fighting to hold the creature up for a better look. "Axel, y'need to put me down!" the cat cried anxiously. "Don't bring me out here!"

"What the _hell?!" _the redhead bellowed.

"_Noooo!" _Sora howled, ankles locked around his waist, bashing fists against his neck and head. "He's my magical friend! Put him _down!" _

"Axel, please! Please don't let me be caught, I only want t' help you all!"

"_What is going on down here?!" _

All three froze, Axel turning to see the tall, thin frame of Vexen stalking along the corridor.

"Oh, dearie me," the cat whimpered. "Oh, dearie, dearie me…" It tried to worm quickly out of Axel's grasp, but the redhead tightened his grip and clamped it close to his body as the pale scientist stomped near.

"You two had better have a good excuse for…" He trailed off, eyes widening as they fell upon the black and white bundle in Axel's arms. Finally, the creature went limp, head dropping in defeat.

"Vexen," Axel gasped, eyes like saucers, "it _talks! _It's a cat and it's Sora's magical friend and it thought I was him _and it talks!" _

The man eyed the creation coldly for a moment, before flicking his glance to each of the boys in turn. "Of course it talks," he said icily. "It's a robot." He looked up and down the corridor, Axel noticing for the first time the various faces peering curiously, fearfully out of the many doors. "All of you!" Vexen's voice echoed sharply along the hallway. "Back to bed, this instant!" He turned his gaze back to the two boys, reached out and wrapped a vice-like hand over Sora's shoulder, effectively steering Axel as he applied pressure on the smaller boy, getting them moving. "Come with me," he said grimly. "And keep a hold on that thing. It's time we had a visit with DiZ."

Quietly, clutching Axel's back, Sora began, once again, to cry.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hey, guys! Sorry about the reviews not replied to yet, from the last chapter of this and also WitWitah, but I was in a hurry to finish this one. I wrote most of it today, in an effort to get it out for my dear Decorinne before she goes away tomorrow, at which point I'll be bereft. Apparently, employing the 'just keep cramming words in til it's done' method for WitWitah has awoken the old skill in general :D I just hope it hasn't lessened the quality at all :S

--

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sora's whimpers followed them through the many halls, Vexen's pace quick, forcing Axel to hurry to keep up. He struggled to hold the awkwardly heavy creature secure in his arms, while the small boy clutched to his back and sobbed quietly. Vexen's cold voice echoed slightly as he snapped, "Sora, stop that ridiculous sniffling at once."

As the brunet dug his face into Axel's neck, the redhead's wide green eyes flicked up at the grim man, hitching the cat higher up his chest and locking his arms in place.

They ascended a set of steps, Axel stumbling slightly with so much extra weight, Vexen's hand at his elbow to hold him steady, fingers tightening and drawing him up the final few. Now in familiar territory, both Axel and Vexen sped up, DiZ's door not far off, the long-haired man striding ahead. Axel hopped a little, shifting Sora's position, the brown-haired boy no longer hampering things like he initially had, to try and free his… _'magical friend'. _

In truth, Axel was more bewildered than anything. With the chaos and shock of that first realisation fading back into coldness, with the twin burdens warming his front and back, as if the creature in his arms were a living, breathing organism, the redhead struggled to make head or tail of it all. _This _was the magical friend? This – thing? But… they'd all assumed it was a _person_ feeding Sora all the lines about Zanarkand being positive for them. This, this cat, this _doll – this _couldn't possibly be the cause of it, right?

Axel turned his gaze down to it, as the sound of Vexen's fist pounding DiZ's door slammed out hollowly through the passageway. The teen felt suddenly a year younger, experiencing a sharp stab of déjà vu as if history was repeating, only this time with a twist.

DiZ opened the door, his impassive expression becoming a frown that twitched the edges of his mouth. "Vexen, what is…?" His gaze slipped past to Axel, his hunched figure, eyes narrowing swiftly at the sight of the bundle in his arms. "What on Earth…? Come in, come, now." He stepped back, Vexen ushering Axel through, closing the door behind them. DiZ returned to his desk, its surface littered with papers, and elegantly took his seat. "Now, what seems to be the issue here?" he demanded. "What is that creature in Axel's arms?"

The redhead hesitated, not sure what to say. When Vexen volunteered nothing, shooting him an expectant glare, Axel, after a moment, silently approaching the desk, shrugging slightly against Sora's tight grip. Carefully, he lifted the cat, laid it out over DiZ's papers, and stepped back, eyeing it warily. He half-expected it to leap up and try to make a break for it, noticing that Vexen, obviously having the same thought, had moved to block the only door in the room.

DiZ gazed down at the creation, looking distinctly unimpressed. Plucking up a pen, he jabbed at the cat, first gently, experimentally, then hard, trying to elicit some kind of response from it. When nothing happened, he looked up narrowly. "It appears to be some form of android creation," he observed coldly. "It is certainly no cat, unless someone has taken to breeding cartoon animals and dressing them up. Do any of you care to tell me what its significance is?"

Vexen cleared his throat sternly. "I believe Axel and Sora would best explain it. I found the two of them in the hall with it."

Holding Sora's legs now, supporting him more comfortably, Axel squirmed. Now that he was here, looking at the creature lying so prone on the desk, with the boy at his back quietening down – he was wishing he hadn't gone so hysterical about it all. His heart still pounded, but suddenly, with these two involved, it had become so much bigger and colder. It would have been better if he'd just listened to Sora…

"Well, Axel?" DiZ demanded. "What is the meaning of this – _creation?" _

"Uh… well…" The redhead cleared his throat, feeling a stab of guilt at the soft sniff behind his ear, feeling Sora's misery wrap around him. "It, uh – " He sighed. "It's – his magical friend. Sir. The – the cat? It's the friend Sora's been yapping about this week… And, I don't know. I don't know – we figured out that it was someone real, but…"

"But this isn't exactly the greatest definition of 'real'," DiZ concluded, looking down at the motionless creature. He slipped his pen under its head, lifted it with some difficulty, considering the weight of it. "Why isn't it moving? I assume it _was_ at some point in the proceedings?"

"It – stopped," Axel said nervously. "When it saw Vexen coming, it stopped moving." Sora's breaths were deep and shivery, the boy quivering against him, fingers shaking at his throat. DiZ turned his attention to him.

"Sora? I require an explanation from you. This is your doing, as so many things in the last few days have been – tell me why you've been seeing this android, what it's been telling you."

The brunet shuddered harder, as if cold – and no doubt, on top of everything else, he probably was. Axel was still dressed in his daytime clothing, but Sora was dressed for bed, relying on the heavy blankets to keep him heated.

Sora said nothing in response to the direct inquiry. DiZ grimaced, Vexen seething from the door, "Young man, answer your superior!"

Impatiently, Axel jerked his head around, snapped, "Okay, look, back off for a second, okay? Can't you see he's upset?" Vexen's outrage was quelled by a look from DiZ, as Axel shuffled over to the chair in front of his desk and gently started shifting Sora around to his front. "Come on, it's okay," he murmured. Slowly, the boy was coaxed into helping, climbing around until he was hugging Axel from the front instead. More exhausted than he could remember being in a long time, Axel sat heavily in the chair, holding Sora's head against his collar as if he were a baby. He could actually remember holding Kairi like this – and, after the bombing of town hall… Roxas.

Oh, why, _why _was everything about Sora right now so piercingly reminiscent of Roxas? It only served to show just how far away the blond _was…_

Tilting his head back, Axel let loose a long, slow sigh, petting Sora's hair, generally trying to soothe the boy into a state of communication, unhappily aware of his own role in having distressed him so badly. Damn it, where was a time machine when you needed it? A few minutes, that's all he asked for.

Or years. Yeah – years. That would be… a lot better. Find a way to warn everyone, find the bombs, or turn back the missiles, or whatever the hell it had even been that had brought them all to this place in space and time.

Dangerous, soul-consuming what-ifs and wishes, dreamt up with all the uselessness hindsight ever lent.

Axel gave a small grunt, patted Sora's shoulder a couple times, muttered, "Okay, come on, now. You've gotta talk sometime."

Sora drew a shaking breath, a patch of Axel's shirt damp from tears and probably mucus, the small boy pushing himself up heavily, chin hanging low against his chest. One fist went up under the mess of his spikes to scrub first at one eye and then the other, as he obviously attempted to pull himself together. Axel suppressed a small smile at the sight; Sora might have been a cry-baby lately, might have been sobbing at every given opportunity whenever the subject of this now-discovered magical friend came up – obviously, it now appeared, highly defensive and afraid of being caught out with something so mythically fake – but, in the end… he was as much a war-orphan as any of them, and the only ten-year-old in all of Hollow Bastion.

He'd been wimpy, but he still had steel in his soul, as evidenced when he finally raised his puffy, red-eyed face, with an expression of grim determination. His eyes, when they met Axel's, didn't hold any blame, but the redhead couldn't help but glance away, all the same. It wasn't every day you got to do something as special as destroy one little kid's fantasies, even if they _were _misguided and misplaced in today's world.

When he spoke, it was to Axel – Sora didn't yet have the courage to confront DiZ or Vexen. Solemnly, voice small, he said, "His name is – Cait Sith. He's… my magical friend, l-like I said. I met him… a week and a bit ago." Suddenly gaining some passion, the brunet continued urgently, gripping Axel's shirt, "But he hasn't been saying anything bad, I swear! I know that – that Zanarkand's not great, and that they bombed us and stuff, but… but Cait's been saying such neat stuff to me, and he said that all they want to do is protect us!"

"All _who _wants to do?" DiZ rumbled from the sidelines, wise enough to not butt in and try and take charge.

Sora hesitated, unhappy at the intrusion, but answering quietly, "The Child Services officials. They – they're only here to make sure we're being well looked-after… th-that's all, I swear!"

Shaking his head minutely, DiZ sighed, "Sora…"

"No!" the boy cried, frowning with conviction. "No, you don't get it – you're all – you're all blinded by your prejudices. Zanarkand can _help _us, I _know _they can."

DiZ closed his eyes, as both Axel and Vexen looked to him helplessly. This wasn't something any of them had had to deal with before – if anything, the big challenge had always been making sure there was no overt displays of aggression towards anyone from Zanarkand, whether they be official or not.

Pushing his fingertips against his bandaged forehead, DiZ muttered, "I can see now why the blasted creature shut down. It must have been programmed to do so upon capture." He sighed. "Sora, everything that comes out of your mouth right now only convinces me more and more deeply that this machine was sent to get to someone young and impressionable, such as yourself."

"Don't call him that!" the boy cried tremulously. "He's not a _machine!"_

"He is," DiZ replied stubbornly. "And you will understand that even if I have to slice it open to prove it to you. You have been used – you have _allowed _yourself to be used."

"But by whom, ultimately?" Vexen grumbled from the door. "Who is the puppet-master?"

Darkly, DiZ muttered, "Yes, that is indeed the question we must ask ourselves… I find it an incredible coincidence that it spoke so highly of the Child Services officials just as they so happen to arrive at the castle."

"It wasn't a trick," Sora whimpered, leaning into Axel's chest, small fingers holding handfuls of the redhead's shirt. "It wasn't. Cait only wanted to help."

Axel tilted his head back with a small sigh, eyes turning to the ceiling, heart heavy, stomach twisting. The kid had no idea he'd been duped. Stupid, naïve, overly-innocent Sora. Such qualities had no place in today's Hollow Bastion.

The silence that fell over DiZ's study was interrupted by a light knock at the door, Vexen jumping slightly, throwing a frowning, questioning glance DiZ's way. The man, leaning over the cat with his knuckles on the desk, looked blank for a moment, before shaking his head with remembrance. "It's Miss Rui. Let her in, please."

Vexen turned, opened the door, Axel hearing a slightly surprised, "Oh!" from the other side. He twisted in his seat as Shalua entered, an eyebrow raised as she gave the thin scientist a wide berth. Her gaze then falling on the two boys sitting on the chair in front of the desk, she paused, confused. "I wasn't aware this was going to be a general meeting."

"Shalua, forgive me," DiZ said heavily, by way of greeting. "I'm afraid our discussion on the new core must be postponed for another time. I have a serious matter regarding the children to attend to."

As he spoke, the woman's remaining blue eye had settled on the body lying across his desk, and her entire body stiffened. When DiZ finished, a long pause developed, during which she was supposed to take her leave – however, she remained frozen in place, lips forming a small 'o' of shock. The males in the room frowned.

"Miss Rui, are you alright?" Vexen asked. She swallowed, eye wide behind her glasses.

"That creature – that's a Cait Sith, isn't it?"

Startled, every set of eyes suddenly swung around to focus on her, Sora's head popping up from Axel's shoulder. "You know Cait?!" he blurted, hope thick in his voice.

"_A _Cait Sith?" DiZ echoed suspiciously. Shalua blinked, unable to tear her gaze from the cat, nodding faintly.

"There are – several of them, replacements… in case anything ever happens to any of them, so that – so that Reeve can…" She trailed off briefly, before breathing, _"Reeve." _Expression suddenly hard, she lifted her eye, straightened her shoulders. "Reeve Tuesti, sir – is he one of the Zanarkand officials you mentioned? Is he in the castle?"

"Reeve Tuesti," DiZ growled. "So, just as I thought – this was an infiltration attempt."

"Wait, wait – what?" Vexen demanded. "This is how they're doing it, via this _thing?" _He threw a hand through his hair. "But of course, this explains why they've been behaving themselves so scrupulously!"

"Shalua," DiZ said sharply, giving her his full attention, "Reeve is indeed one of the two officials visiting us, apparently of the Child Services division. The other is a woman named Scarlet. What do you know of either of them, and _how?" _

Shalua barked out a brief laugh. "Scarlet's here? Reeve must be having to sleep with one eye open if _she's_ been sent along." Then, glancing around at Vexen, the two pale-faced boys, she sighed. "Well, I guess the jig's up, now. It's not worth keeping my cover intact if it means they get to us." With a slight shrug of the shoulder of her good arm, she said simply, "I'm originally a scientist from Zanarkand." As DiZ's gaze darkened, Vexen letting out a slight exclamation of dismay, she hastily added, "But my intentions _are _pure. I have no interest in harming your reputation, DiZ, or anyone in the castle or Hollow Bastion. Just because I'm initially from there, that doesn't mean my loyalties are still invested in Zanarkand. In fact, it's the opposite."

Sitting slowly, a carefully controlled glower in place, DiZ joined his hands in front of his mouth, index fingers pressing together against his lips. For a long, tense moment, he regarded the woman. Axel gaped up at her, heart thundering anew, sick at the thought of a Zanarkand having been among them _all this time. _

"Explain. Quickly," DiZ commanded shortly, through his teeth. Grimacing, the woman shifted on her high-heels, raising her hand to her hip.

"I lied to you, I admit that. I knew that if you knew where I came from, you'd never let me anywhere near the digital Twilight Town, so I made the effort to forge myself a false profile when I applied for work here." She fixed him with a steady, unrepentant look. "I deserve to be working on this project, DiZ. I might have lived and worked in Zanarkand, but my little sister _is _within Twilight Town. I senther away at the beginning of the war. Our mom died when she was very young, and I was frightened that she would be hurt in one of the bombing raids. I didn't want to lose her, too." She sighed. "I made her a new identity, one which separated her from me, so that no one would know where she was from, and I sent her to the one place that was remaining firmly neutral in everything."

"…Us," Axel uttered, staring at her wide-eyed. "You made her come to Hollow Bastion."

The woman met his gaze for a long moment, then nodded. "Yes."

"And she then ended up being inserted into the system,"DiZ muttered. "It makes sense – once peace was declared, you came hoping to take her home, and found her within the simulation, with no chance of release. Then you promptly lied your way in to be by her side."

"I did the only thing I _could _do," Shalua said sharply. "I want to be part of this, DiZ. I want to take care of my sister. And, eventually, I _do_ intend to take her back – you can't just keep them all in there forever; you understand that, even if you don't want to face up to it yet."

"So, _you're_ here to attack DiZ just as much as the Child Services people are," Vexen accused.

The woman's head snapped around, her voice cutting through the air as she responded, _"No!" _Returning her gaze determinedly to DiZ, she said, "I'm here to make Twilight Town as stable and strong as it can be. I know that there's a lot of kids who _aren't _going to get out there anytime within the next decade, and I want them to be safe." Over her shoulder, she added scathingly to Vexen, "Being from Zanarkand doesn't automatically equal a complete absence of scruples, and I'll thank you to remember all I've done to further the Twilight Children program over the last few years." She looked down at Axel and Sora, who gazed back thin-lipped, gentling her expression. "My sister isn't the only one in there that matters. Other people have family members and friends that they care about. I want to take care of them, too."

Impatiently, DiZ said, "All of that remains to be seen, and shall indeed be addressed at a more opportune moment – but for right now, I need to know about this machine on my desk, and its indelible connection to Reeve Tuesti."

Shalua nodded firmly. "Agreed. Reeve is, or was when I knew him, at least, an important part of the Information Gathering Agency. His ability to create and manipulate machines like Cait Sith allowed him to both climb quickly through the ranks, while remaining relatively unknown in person. He has a range of 'suits' he sends out to impersonate himself. He might have even done that with this particular mission, whatever their ultimate aim is regarding you and the castle."

"It's obvious they've come to find ways to destabilize DiZ's position within Hollow Bastion," Vexen snapped. Shalua shot him a narrow look, but nodded.

"It seems most likely. It's what I was thinking when I found out about 'Child Services' coming, but, of course, at that point I wasn't willing to reveal myself to discover who exactly was sent, or for what purpose, and I've been too busy working to even think about getting myself involved in it." She thought for a moment. "Scarlet's more of a mystery – she's in charge of weapons development. I'm not entirely sure why _she _would be necessary for something like this."

"I haven't heard of any such division within Zanarkand," DiZ said, suspicion and curiosity warring. Shalua nodded.

"That doesn't surprise me. Zanarkand's main priority, as you know, is Isolationism. Everything is internalised. It's rare for anyone but the figureheads to be on display, outside of the army."

"You must have been well-respected to end up with such classified information," Vexen pointed out acidly. She sighed shortly.

"Yes, and it's because I'm good at what I do, Vexen. I work hard, and I get results. I've worked with several of the different divisions on various projects, but I'm _telling _you, I'm not interested in anything but the continuation of the Twilight Town network."

"So," DiZ deduced, eyes narrow, "They have sent the head of weaponry development and a talented infiltrator, under the guise of ensuring that the youths of Hollow Bastion are being well-cared for. Reeve Tuesti used one of his creations, this Cait Sith character, to get to Sora and successfully win him over…" The brunet jerked in Axel's grasp, eyes flashing wide. "Which he apparently managed, with flying colours. So now, the question we must pose is…" His gaze found Sora icily. "What did the boy _tell _him?"

Sora froze, Axel's hands tightening around his back, before starting to stutter. "I – I didn't s-say anything! I – I…! _No!" _He shook his head in hard denial. "No, Cait is my _friend, _he wasn't using me! No one was!"

"Sora," Shalua said, softly, "Cait was made by Reeve Tuesti. He was your friend because Reeve wanted to speak to you without any adults interfering."

"And – he was coming after _me, _next," Axel realised, suddenly startled by the revelation. He pushed himself straighter, saying swiftly, "He wanted to talk to Sora about me, because, because we had this idea of feeding Reeve misinformation, but it didn't end up working out and I just mouthed off at him, but he thinks I'm all sad now, and –"

"What are you talking about?" Vexen snapped, while DiZ closed his eyes, cupped his face in one hand, and groaned softly.

"Axel… please, tell me you didn't attempt something as ridiculous as that. _Please."_

The redhead hesitated nervously. "Well… I didn't end up going _through _with it, not – not really…"

Into his palm, DiZ muttered, _"God." _He sucked in a breath through his nose, visibly composing himself, then straightened again, asking neutrally, "Relate this new and terrible facet of the evening's events to me, if you please."

"There's really not much to tell," Axel said anxiously. "We were just planning to screw with him a little –"

"_We?"_

"I!" he corrected desperately. "I! Me! I acted alone!"

"Yes, I'm sure you did," the man replied dryly. He pressed the heel of one palm against his brow with a slow exhalation. "And the night was looking to be so quiet…" He went still for a moment, then folded his hands together on the edge of the desk, fixing those within the room with a resolute look. "Well, we've got as much information as we're going to just now – I believe it's time to go to the _source _of the matter."

"There's a chance Reeve's already aware of the discovery," Shalua warned. "If he has a direct hook-up to Cait, he'll be the one that shut it down. But even if he does, he won't be expecting you to know that he's directly involved, even if you have suspicions, so you should be able to apprehend them in time."

"Apprehend?" DiZ echoed grimly. "Hardly. We haven't got the manpower to stave off all the Zanarkand dogs that would come snapping at our heels if we attempted to hold their agents against their will, no matter what their intentions in coming here might have been. But I will talk to them. Vexen, go and fetch Xigbar and Luxord. Take them with you to get Mister Tuesti and Miss Scarlet; one for force, if needed, the other for diplomacy, which will be _vital. _Bring them to me immediately."

"Of course, sir." Vexen inclined his head, rapidly exited the room, pulling the door firmly shut.

DiZ turned his attention back to Axel and Sora. "Boys, I'm aware of the hour, but you willbe required to remain here for the confrontation. Sora must be shown the truth of this, _tonight." _He sent the brunet a disapproving look, mixed with frustration. "All I can say to you, Sora, is that you have always been welcome here, and you are a bright, quick-witted pupil. I admire your courage and ability to learn, and hope that you realise where your true place is. No amount of magical friendship or sweet words delivered by Zanarkand is going to change the way your life is going to play out. You were used, and now you must recover from that and move on." As Sora's lips pressed firmly together, stubbornness evident, the man relented the slightest amount, and added, "I can assure you that you will not be blamed for what has happened. You are a victim in this; you have been manipulated. Your behaviour has been reprehensible, but only because your open nature was taken advantage of."

Shalua sighed, patted the boy on the shoulder. "Translation: it wasn't your fault, and you won't be in trouble, no matter how bratty you've been." She sent a sympathetic look at the confusion on his face.

"…How did you know straight away what his name was?" the boy asked in a small voice.

"I used to work with Reeve," she said quietly. "We were once friends. I saw a few different models of Cait being built. Cait isn't a real creature, he's – a simulation." She bent slightly, narrowed eye meeting his lost gaze. "You're a smart kid, Sora – you know what a simulation is."

"Like Twilight Town," he supplied. She nodded.

"That's right. Cait Sith is a simulation friend. Just like we use Twilight Town to take care of people, Reeve uses Cait to talk to people without getting caught."

Sora was silent, looking abruptly paler as his gaze swivelled, almost against his will, to where the mechanical cat lay lifeless across DiZ's papers. Axel watched his face closely for signs of cracking, but the boy just went – sort of blank. The redhead knew the desire to believe in childish notions was battling with the natural, sensible intelligence the kid had been displaying more and more often the older he got. Shalua was laying it out for him in terms he could more than understand, and… slowly, tinges of worry touched his features. Axel could see the doubts rising, and it was almost painful to witness. He didn't look forward to this ultimate shattering of ideals.

God _damn _it, if only he'd paused to think for once, instead of just reacting. But then… he supposed, helplessly, that this was necessary. It would have been a lot more disastrous if the cat had got away with information… and the way that Sora had been spouting off about safety stuff and all the rest, it was dangerously likely that he _had _said something.

Axel's eyes shut, chin dropping onto his chest with a sigh. Long day; long night; long week. He needed a decent sleep, and wasn't looking to get one any time soon.

While they waited, DiZ got up and started pacing the room, hands clasped behind his back, the majority of his expression hidden by the many bandages around his head and face. Shalua sighed, went around and took his seat, obviously figuring that if he wasn't going to sit, she _would. _She poked at the cat half-heartedly, obviously familiar with its structure in the way she effortlessly manipulated its limbs.

At last, Sora was the one that broke the silence, uttering quietly, "You… want to get your sister out of Twilight Town?"

Both DiZ and the woman looked at him sharply, but while DiZ glanced away and continued pacing, Shalua held his gaze steadily, the light of the several burning lamps glinting off the surface of her glasses. "That's correct," she agreed, with a slight nod. "It's my ultimate aim. I want her back."

"How?" the brunet asked. She lifted a shoulder.

"Same way she got in. We just need to make the Twilight Town environment more stable, enough so that it can support the withdrawal." She sighed. "And, of course, we need to make sure everything is safe here, that I'll be able to support her mentally as well as financially, that the shock of discovering that the life she remembers has been a lie won't destroy her mind… There's a lot to take into account."

Axel picked at the hem of Sora's bed-shirt, staring at her hard. "Do you – think that other people will be able to come out, too? Eventually?"

"That is not a discussion for tonight," DiZ interrupted in a mutter, before the woman could answer. He shook his head irritably, pausing and demanding, "Exactly what did you say to Reeve, Axel? What was going through your _mind _when you reached this 'solo' decision to try playing with the visitors?"

Wearily, the redhead sat back, scowling. "You don't need to worry, I didn't do or say anything stupid, okay? I told him that – that life is hard enough without having them screwing things up for us. That's all. And it's true, and I'm _allowed _to say it," he added defiantly.

"And because of this, he sent the machine after you?" the man demanded sharply.

"He probably just wanted to try and use me like he did with Sora," Axel argued heatedly. "I got upset when I was talking to him, alright? And God only knows that the one thing Zanarkand does best is play on people's weaknesses!"

DiZ growled, obviously frustrated to his limit, wishing there was some way to lash out, but having no real avenue through which to do so – at least, not at this point in time. "We will discuss this further," he promised darkly. "Later, Axel."

"Fine," the redhead sulked. "But I didn't do anything wrong, and you can't prove I did."

Silence returned, DiZ's mind looking hard at work, while Shalua simply sat calmly, her eye fixed on the mechanical cat, legs crossed and the toe of one shoe bouncing slightly up and down.

It wasn't much longer until the sound of approaching voices appeared in the distance, the deep voice of Reeve Tuesti speaking rapidly, occasionally punctuated by Scarlet's more piercing tones. Moments later, there was a hard knock at the door, DiZ turning grimly, calling, _"Come." _

The handle twisted, and Luxord pushed his way in with a flat look, features carefully schooled into neutrality. When Scarlet entered, personality blazing, trailed by the others, it was obvious what was testing the blond man's patience.

The first words out of her mouth were, "DiZ, I demand to know the cause for this! It is _ridiculous _of you to send your lackeys to drag us out of our beds at this time of night, this castle is _negligently _cold!" Axel looked her up and down, unimpressed by her thin pajamas, her useless robe. The woman just did _not_ know how to dress for the mountains.

In stark contrast, possibly incriminatingly, Reeve was fully dressed.

"Of course, you'll have to forgive me," DiZ responded placidly from his corner of the room, all prior aggravation suddenly masked. As Reeve entered, frowning, he continued dryly, "I merely thought I would return to you the property you must have misplaced earlier in the week." Turning to the desk, he added, "It's not the sort of thing that one feels comfortable just leaving lying around the place."

Scarlet and Reeve followed his gaze, stiffening as the sight sank in. While Scarlet's eyes narrowed abruptly, Reeve's opened wide, lips parting and brows knitting together. "I don't… believe it," he croaked. "…Shalua. It – really is you…"

The woman stood, sending him a cool look. "Hello, Reeve. In the flesh, no less. It's been a while – and I see you're still up to all your old tricks."

He stammered for a moment, "I – I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to, I…" He finally noticed the two boys sitting close by, leapt on the point of distraction. "Ah – Axel, Sora… What, what are you both doing up this late?" he attempted nervously, eyes darting about.

"You're a terrible liar, Reeve," Shalua pointed out, mercilessly casual. "As always."

"What exactly is the point of this midnight get-together?" Scarlet demanded, icy-cold. "Are you just showing off to us the fact that you've stolen one of Zanarkand's scientists, DiZ, or was there a deeper purpose to all this? If not, I'd quite like to return to bed."

"The only bed you'll be returning to," DiZ growled, "is the one you briefly inhabited in Hollow Bastion city before dirtying our halls with your treacherous presence, Madam."

Drawing herself up to full height, Scarlet demanded, outraged, "How _dare _you?!"

"Drop the act," Axel snapped hatefully. "You've been caught out, okay?"

"That's enough," DiZ said instantly, sending him a glare. "Your input isn't necessary, Axel, thank you all the same." Levelling his gaze at the two Zanarkand officials, he announced, "Not twenty minutes ago, Vexen came to my door with these two young men and the creation on my desk. Up until Shalua arrived for a prearranged meeting, we were puzzled by the robotic cat Sora was claiming to be his magical friend –" Reeve shot a worried glance down at the boy, who was staring up at them from Axel's lap. " – but, as you've obviously chosen to recognise, she, upon seeing it, revealed her identity completely and explained to us what it is, along with precisely who is _responsible _for it." He studied them coldly. "You came into my city. You came into my castle, the political stronghold of our battered town, and you lied. And you lied. And you _lied._ You have broken every trust of mine in Zanarkand that I ever had. I was quite aware of your actual intentions in coming here, but never, _never _did I believe you would stoop so low as to involve a _child _in what I now see is your _boundless _duplicity."

"Prove it," Scarlet responded instantly, long-nailed hands clutching the neck of her robe close to her throat. "We've never seen this thing in all our lives," she gestured to Cait Sith, "and your accusations are baseless, formed on the nothing stories of pre-adolescent war-orphans."

"_Bitch," _Xigbar snarled, from the doorway, where he, Luxord and Vexen were remaining to the back of the proceedings. The other two men were looking similarly menacing at her callous dismissal of the castle's wards.

"And which stories would those be?" DiZ demanded tightly. "I don't believe you even know of what you stand _accused _yet, Madam."

"Give it up," Shalua advised the woman flatly, standing from DiZ's chair. "They don't just have nothing stories, they have _me, _and I've informed them of both your true positions within Zanarkand. Your cover is blown, and I know enough about Reeve's skills to be able to figure out what you've been up to, even _if _we didn't already know that Sora has spent the last several days talking with Cait."

"Oh, and the opinion of a defector, that's _so _much more worthwhile than that of some abandoned, forgotten child," Scarlet sneered.

Xigbar lurched forward. _"You fucking –"_

"Scarlet, that's _enough," _Reeve protested, holding an alarmed hand up to stop the one-eyed man from taking her apart. His eyes were on Sora, who, in the face of all the aggression suddenly coursing the room – and so much of it pulsing in Axel's own chest, making it hard for the redhead to breathe – had shrunk down in fright. Scarlet was a daunting figure at the best of times, but when trying to be vicious, her voice could have cut through bone and sinew. The brunet boy was blinking tears away, not crying again, just upset by the intensity of it all, on top of the growing realisation that things… really… weren't… right. He was beginning to panic.

Chest beginning to hitch, he looked back over at DiZ's desk, his breaths suddenly shrilly audible to the gathered adults. Axel tightened his hands on the boy's hips, but could offer no comfort as Sora demanded in high, tight tones, "Cait – if you're really my friend, and if you're really magical, then _wake up!" _He was shivering again, harder than before, distress thick, lips quivering. "Wake _up," _he urged, sounding almost panicked.

"Sora," Shalua started gently. The boy wriggled off of Axel's knees, turning to Reeve with round eyes.

"You. Make him wake up," he commanded breathlessly. "If – if you're controlling him, then _do _it. _Do it!" _

"Now, you listen here, little boy," Scarlet said crisply, cut off by Luxord saying scornfully, "Oh, shut _up, _you stupid _cow." _His eyes pinned Reeve, along with every other set in the room. "Do as he says, Zanarkand. You've been caught, and there's no way in hell you're ever getting back into this place. You're the reason that Sora's been in so much trouble this week, because of this stunt of yours – the least you can do is put his mind at rest."

Caught, Reeve stammered, "I – I don't, I –"

"He's right, Reeve," Shalua said quietly, folding her single arm over her stomach, regarding him solemnly. She bowed her head slightly, adding, "You know you owe it to him – don't you?"

"I've heard enough," Scarlet scoffed. "You're all a bunch of fools. You don't even know what you're talking about – if you want us gone, though, we'll go." She smiled, lips thinly cruel. "We'll go, and we'll take all the information we've gathered with us."

"_No!" _Sora shrieked abruptly, terror on his face. As Axel jumped up and reached for him, he slapped the redhead away, cried to Reeve, _"You can't! _Everything I said, I said to _Cait! _I told him those things because he _cared, _he said he _cared, _he said he was my _friend! _You can't use it against us, you _can't!"_

"I'm sure we don't know what the child is raving about," Scarlet spat. Turning, she sniffed, "Reeve, it's time for us to go."

"…I agree."

The whole room froze, turned slowly towards the mechanical cat, which was now sitting amongst the mess of DiZ's papers. Though his face was caught in some kind of perpetually friendly smile, his accent cheerfully foreign, Cait Sith sounded regretful.

Scarlet turned to Reeve and slapped him.

"I'm sorry, Sora," the cat said softly, as he pushed up to his ridiculously red shoes and leapt nimbly down. He walked through the forest of legs and went to Reeve's side, reaching up and taking the man's hand, the pair of them looking like a demented father-son pair.

Reeve's expression was torn. "I'm so sorry," he said, equally gently, and, for a moment, there was a faint parallel between the way the two of them spoke. Seeing them standing there, side-by-side, Axel felt his already aching heart break a little for the boy. "I genuinely am."

Scarlet left the room without another word, stalking down the hallways, while Sora stood rooted in place, stricken but for once dry-eyed. He drew in a shaking breath. "Zanarkand," he whispered, and this time, when Axel reached for him, he allowed it, allowed the redhead's arms to envelop him from behind, allowed him to nurse him and turn loathing, acid-green eyes towards the man. "N-never – trust Zanarkand," Sora muttered, face lowering. "Never."

"Never," Axel agreed, squeezing him tight. Reeve closed his eyes.

"Leave," DiZ said quietly, gaze boring into the man. "Leave now, and try to keep that bitch of yours on her leash while you do so. Hollow Bastion has had enough of Zanarkand for one lifetime."

"Amen," Xigbar growled, echoed darkly by both Vexen and Luxord.

Reeve nodded slowly, wordlessly, and led Cait Sith away, the cat looking over his shoulder at the still and silent Sora until they passed from sight.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: **With a wild-eyed, exhausted exclamation of, "Holy crap-oli," Lauren eyed the sixteen-page chapter. Not as long as some people went, but long for her – and, sadly, still unfinished. She had planned to have this particular 'year' wrapped up in this chapter, but realising that she would be heading into _oneshot _territory if she attempted to achieve that, she resignedly left it as it was, cutting it off ahead of schedule. Or behind schedule. She wasn't entirely certain which.

Quite sure that, one way or another, she was submitting a piece of crap, she didn't have the energy to care. Not even slightly. She was virtually asleep at her keyboard, and it wasn't even two in the afternoon.

Heaving a deep breath, glad to finally be done editing the demon chapter, she posted it without another thought.

To all those who were currently wondering if she had finally snapped and gone mad, speaking of herself in the third-person like this, she answered both, "Yes," and, "but I'm also taking part in Prose Week. Check the links to my LJ or dA if you're wondering what the hell I'm going on about, and JOIN THE CRUSADE. BECAUSE THE MORE, THE MERRIER. **SEE HOW FUCKING MERRY I AM?!"** She then pointed aggressively to her crazed expression, and passed out.

--

CHAPTER NINE

"So… Exactly how long do you plan on keeping this up?"

Axel lifted his head slowly, eyes dragging from the pages of the book he was skimming, blinking at Paine with incomprehension. The girl was sitting across from him, elbows on the long table, the pair of them in the library. She fixed him with an impatient look as he played dumb.

"…You totally weren't there like, two seconds ago," he said dubiously. "What, did you die and become a ghost and no one told me?" Before she could respond to the stupid comment, he hunched his shoulders, returning his gaze to the book, muttering, "Never mind, of course they wouldn't." Paine's eyes rolled. She reached across the table, seized an earlobe, and tugged hard, making the teen yelp, pages fluttering as he whipped his hands up to bat at her cruel grip. _"Shit-shit-shit, _Paine, get the hell _off _me!"

When he finally fought her off, his fingers went gently to the little mass of throbbing flesh, heat radiating faintly from the site, which felt about three inches longer than it had been before she'd arrived.

"Don't look at me like that," the older girl warned, as he scowled over in her direction. She held up a threatening thumb and forefinger. "I'll get the other one, don't think I won't." He levelled a defiant middle finger her way, the effect spoiled by the intense sulkiness of his expression. She could only sigh. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, Axel. You've barely spoken a word for three days. And you _haven't _said a _word _to Demyx since he got elected for the new dumpsite crew and you missed out. You won't even look at him."

Axel's green eyes lowered to the table, hooded and narrow. For a long moment, there was silence between them, Paine waiting for whatever water-weak explanation he planned to justify himself with. He didn't fail to deliver: "…In case you hadn't noticed, I wasn't talking to Demyx anywa-_ow!" _His other ear was pulled hard, his hands rising to slap wildly at her forearm. Through his teeth, he hissed, _"If you weren't such a fucking girl, I'd punch you right in the goddamn nose!"_

She mocked, "Oh, come on, Axel, give me some equal rights. _I _don't mind if you punch me right in the goddamn nose. Take your best shot."

He successfully smacked her away for the second time, letting out a heavy, angry huff of air and standing abruptly, the sound of the chair legs scraping along the floor bulleting through the large, quiet room. He slammed the book shut, dragged it up under his right arm, and spun away from the table. "What's walking away going to achieve?" Paine asked. "You need to talk this over with someone. Or take something for it. Break into Luxord's liquor stash, maybe. Just – get back to _normal. _Reeve's not here anymore, the act doesn't need to continue, remember?"

The redhead ignored her, strode away, thin-lipped.

It had been three days since the Zanarkand officials had left the castle, two since they'd vacated Hollow Bastion altogether, and one since he'd found out at breakfast the previous morning that the salvage team being sent to make the preliminary sweep of the town hall wreckage along with Leon's people wasn't going to consist of _him. _The entire castle had been in an uproar virtually since the moment Scarlet and Reeve had stepped out of their walls, torn between returning productivity to normal and completing the last minute winter preparations before all the mountain passes were filled with ice and snow in roughly two weeks' time.

Sora and Axel's contribution towards getting rid of the officials had been all but forgotten as a nuisance in the tumult; Sora was disgraced, the level of his foolishness having extended to detailing the castle's unsafe work conditions and some of the more dicey living ones, and Axel was tarnished by his attempt to mess with Reeve in the first place. Neither of them was being allowed on the newest expedition, and upon discovering this, Axel had withdrawn into himself.

It was just… easier this way. Easier to not speak to anyone with the anger and pain he was feeling at missing out on the one trip taking place before the snowstorms hit in earnest. It was especially easy to pretend Demyx didn't exist, kicked-puppy expression and all.

If anyone tried to tell him it wasn't fair, he'd get them to explain exactly what fair was, then throw it right back in their faces, because _nothing _was fair. Nothing had _been _fair for _years. _Dem would deal. And if he couldn't, he was weak, not worth consorting with in the first place.

At least, that's what Axel coolly told himself in the back corner of his mind. Whether or not he actually believed it didn't factor into things. Depression was shivering on a razor's edge within the boy, ready to topple and taking him dragging down to the bottom of some dark, internal ocean, trailing bubbles all the way. The dumpsite team would be heading out first thing in the morning, before light even hit the city, and those that formed it would be among the very first to witness the site of the greatest, most devastating attack Hollow Bastion had ever had to endure. That he wasn't going to be part of that, _couldn't _be,was a collection of knives paring his insides, sliding and slicing with every breath.

So, yeah. He wasn't talking a whole heap... He had to keep his mouth shut to keep all the blood in.

His steps scraped the stone floor of the hallway as he headed for the room he and Sora were now more or less permanently sharing. He didn't know how long this was going to last. Neither he nor Sora was eager for anything to change – if there was one person who could rival Axel's current quietness, it was the brunet. The only time either of them really talked, it was to each other. It was a foreign concept, having Sora be seen but not heard. Even when the kid had been the butt of everyone's jokes, even when he was sulking because no one believed him about the whole magical friend thing, he'd still managed to have a loud voice to complain with.

Now… there was silence. Axel supposed he had to regain some composure, and who knew how long that would take. It wasn't every day that hopelessly idealistic ten-year-olds turned jaded. That alone would be providing enough shock for Sora's system to have to adjust to. One other thing that had changed, too, one thing sort of big, was that he wasn't crying anymore. He hadn't shed a single tear that Axel was aware of, since the other night. The robot cat had left DiZ's office with Reeve, and taken Sora's ability to cry with it. He wasn't sure yet if he liked this or not. On the one hand – lack of whining. On the other… lack of – Sora?

As he walked, Axel glanced down at the book under his arm, reaching up with a hand to adjust the long, coarsely woollen, open-ended beanie encasing his hair. Because he wasn't looking ahead, because his hearing was muffled by how low the hat was pulled, the redhead didn't see the other traverser of halls as he turned the corner until he bumped straight into him. Book slipping, head jerking up, Axel stumbled back a step, eyes settling on Demyx a moment later.

For a long moment, both boys stared, before simultaneously realising that the blond was clutching a handful of Axel's thick coat, holding him steady. Demyx's hands fell sharply as the redhead yanked back with a scowl, holding the book close. Axel's gaze went to the heavy tam hat the other teen was wearing, material thick, a virtual pocket of wool hanging halfway down his neck. He'd been wearing it since he'd been elected for the expedition – Rinoa had handed out a fresh supply of warm clothing to those who would be heading out into the snow. To Axel, it was just another bitter reminder, another reason to not look at his former friend.

He stiffened his bearing, shoulders drawing up, and made to push past. Demyx held a hand up uselessly as he went by, stuttering for a moment before managing, "A-Axel…? I wanted… I have to…"

The redhead didn't even pause. Demyx' voice trailed off into the cold air, evaporating with the steam he exhaled. Axel disappeared down the passageway, passing in and out of the flickering hazes of firelight emanating from the wall-bolted lanterns, leaving Demyx's hand to lower unseen.

He didn't stop again until he reached Sora's room, pushing open the heavy door, slipping through the gap into the candlelit dimness. Shoving a shoulder into the wood, he slid it shut again, turning to find Sora sitting up in bed, the covers drawn tightly around his slight frame. The boy had a book open across his knees, eyes not faltering from their steady reading as he entered. Since the night that Reeve's treachery had come to light, this had basically been all that the brunet had done with his spare time. If he wasn't working, or eating, he could probably either be found in the depths of the library, or here, like this, wrapped up against the world and reading.

Axel studied him for a moment, green eyes narrow, before crossing to the narrow strip between the two single beds, tossing the leather-bound book he'd been carrying onto Sora's mattress. It bounced, catching the boy's attention.

"Here you go, kid."

Sora stared at it for a moment, as Axel began stripping off his scarves, his coat and several sweaters. "…I'm not a kid," he mumbled at last, as Axel sat on the opposite bed, attacking the double-knotted laces at the top of his boots.

"Huh?" the redhead grunted, drawing the long threads loose, working the leather tongue up from where it had slid during the course of the day.

Sora lifted his head, bright eyes hard, determined. "I'm not a _kid. _Just because I'm younger than everyone else, it's like you all treat me like some kind of charity case, or a baby, or an idiot. But I've been through everything _you _have. I grew up fast, too. I'm not a _kid." _

Axel lifted an eyebrow, having paused mid-task, bent over his knees, hands on laces. Several beats of silence passed, after which he rolled his shoulders. "…Fine. Whatever you say."

Sora returned to his reading, a frown in place as he gazed at the words. Axel let out a long, weary breath and stood, stepping on the heel of each boot and working his feet free one by one, the cold reaching through the layers of socks the instant they hit the air. His eyes remained on Sora, noticing the way the brunet hadn't even looked at the book he'd dropped in front of him. "…If that one's no good," he said after a moment, "I can take it back in the morning and get a different one. It was from the same section as the others, though."

Sora sighed. He glanced up from his reading, reaching a hand out of his cocoon to twist the book on the bedspread and take a cursory glimpse of the title. "'The Fine Mechanics of Fine Mechanics'?" He sounded doubtful, his gaze echoing this as he looked up. Axel shrugged awkwardly.

"I guess some of those geeks have a sense of humour, or something."

The boy opened the cover, flipped to halfway through, scanning a few pages, before nodding slowly. "It sounds okay. I'll make sure to look at it more closely. Later, though. This one's got a lot about actual robotics."

Axel sat again, pulling open one of the drawers from the set sitting between them, against the wall, shooting him an uncertain look. "Are you sure…?"

"For the last time," Sora snapped, eyes firmly back on the book on his knees, "yes, I'm perfectly sure, I'm perfectly fine. I'm just curious. I'm _allowed _to be curious, you know. There's no rule against it. If you're so worried, go run and tell DiZ."

"I thought that was more _your _line of work," the redhead muttered. "You were always a good tattler."

"I think I hear Vexen in the hall," the brunet sniped, "why don't you go and shriek to _him _about what I'm reading?"

No one ever claimed the talking they did with each other was resentment-free. Still, Axel was pretty sure they both indulged because… it felt good. They were _both _hurting, and both without targets for it. By letting it out like this – it was like… like lancing a blister. Something like that. Something you could _feel. _It wasn't like Sora, and it would fade in time, but until then, Axel didn't really care if the kid blamed him partially for what happened. Sora knew he'd screwed up – that didn't make it any easier. Sometimes… shifting blame was all you could do to keep by getting eaten up by it.

So, rather than snapping back, Axel instead lowered his young head, reached up and sank his fingers into his tan-coloured beanie, pulling it up off his brow, along the tight bunch of his spikes, shoving it into the open drawer. He grabbed some warm pajamas out and made the swift exchange between his day clothing into that which would last him through the night, before crawling into the chill of still covers, waiting for his body to heat them and him.

The candle continued to burn and melt between the two beds, wick blackened and twisted, the tall, slender flame utterly still. The sound of occasionally turning pages and the slight crackle of fire meeting liquid wax continued as Axel closed his eyes and waited to sink down into slumber. He listened to Sora's small noises, the faint glow turning what should have been darkness rose-tinted.

Eventually, he left consciousness, and all the while, the ten-year-old across the small room read on.

--

Axel woke in complete stillness. Perfect, pitch-black darkness. His eyes slid open dryly, registering no difference between the inside of his lids and the room. Sora's breaths came slowly over the chasm between their beds, a steady, peaceful noise in the otherwise silence. The air was motionless, and cold. He could practically smell the ice and snow from here.

Carefully, so as not to stir the slumbering brunet, Axel pushed down the blankets, lifting his legs up and out of their confines, feet touching the bitterness, toes curling. Almost instantly, he started to shiver, but clamped his teeth against it, keeping control. If he let it get the better of him, it would be even harder to leave the beautiful warmth than it already was. As it was, letting the covers fall away, rolling slowly to lower his feet to the floor, felt almost like a masochistic practice.

He supposed that, in a way, it was. After all, he kept doing it, didn't he? And this first burst of frigidness – it was the precursor to visiting Roxas and Kairi. Somehow, it managed to send a little thrill through his blood, every single time. He had learned to like this tormenting portion of the early morning.

He changed swiftly, feeling as though it had been barely minutes since he'd stripped off, yanking the beanie back over his head, tugging his long spikes through the opening. Green eyes, accustomed to the blackness now, remained on the quietly slumbering figure in the other bed as fingers fumbled with heavy buttons, stiffly attached to thick, rough fabric. At last, ready to step out, he crept to the door, pulled it slowly open, slid through the gap and closed it again, hoping that the slight draught wouldn't disturb Sora. It wouldn't, though; it hadn't the last couple times he'd done it, so why would the kid suddenly become so restless now?

Axel glanced up and down the passageway, pulling his collar high, lowering his chin and setting off with determination. The only thing keeping him from toppling into the bitterness that threatened to overwhelm his slender body was this – this trip to see them. He wasn't allowed to go to where his parents had died, so the only thing left was to travel to where the rest of his family was still living, deep within the circuits of Twilight Town. If he couldn't do this, didn't have this avenue to keep him anchored all the time… he didn't really know what else he would do.

Sometimes, in the depths of his mind – never his heart, but his mind could be a traitor this way – he was… almost glad that things had worked out the way they had. Glad that Roxas and Kairi were shut away. Because – he wasn't sure what he would do if they weren't. He'd heard stories from Vaan about kids getting shipped out of Hollow Bastion to live in other cities, under the care of orphanages, sometimes in Zanarkand, sometimes in Ivalice… after all, a war-torn little place like this was nowhere that you could rebuild your life if you weren't even old enough to hold down a steady job.

If he, Roxas and Kairi were all out, all free, and Axel had no reason to stay at the castle, no reason to have DiZ or Luxord or Xigbar even glance in his direction, who knew where they would have ended up? Or if they'd have been allowed to stick together? The adults wouldn't have listened to their protests – if the three of them had needed to be split, they _would have been. _And Axel wouldn't have just been _alone… _he'd also have had no _purpose._

It was one of the thoughts that kept him awake at night, sometimes.

But, as it was… things _had _played out like this. Roxas and Kairi _were _locked away, and he pined for them. He longed for the simplicity of what once had been their lives together. He felt it burn inside his chest, and dug his hands a little deeper into his coat-pockets, hissing out a breath, boots clopping dully through the long, empty hallways.

As he headed along the final stretch, though, the stairs that would take him down to the floor that hosted the computers and little else – he heard a cough. From below, down the staircase. He froze at the top, eyes widening, because there was a lantern _right fucking there beside him, _he was lit up like Christmas, pale skin shining like a beacon. He wasn't close enough to see anyone yet, and he could only hope that he was similarly invisible to whoever was down there. He backed away quickly, wondering despairingly who would be out at this time of night – when another cough came, and, brow furrowing with disbelief, he found himself recognising it.

He paused in his backward motion, a gloved hand resting on the solid bricks of the wall, cold, not like the slightly warmer chipboard walls that Leon and the Committee had installed last winter in some of the upstairs common rooms. He hesitated, fingers forming a fist against the stone, before creeping forward again, lips parting. He peered down, craning cautiously, stubborn lines forming seconds later as he confirmed in his mind who it was that was there.

Sitting halfway down the stairs… was Demyx. He had his back to Axel, was hunched over, knees drawn up, that hat on again, looking just like he had when they'd bumped into each other earlier. The way he was leaning tiredly against the wall, it seemed like maybe he hadn't even gone to bed yet. He'd been waiting here – or, if not here, where Luxord would certainly have come across him any earlier, then elsewhere, waiting, like Axel, for the blond man's shift to be over, waiting for that window of time in which there was no one about.

Axel used the window to see his loved ones. Demyx was using it to try and… catch him at it. Rage spread like fire, blossoming through his veins.

"So, you're some kind of spy now?"

The redhead's voice was a knife through the silence. Demyx jumped visibly on his stair, another small cough grating out of his throat, managing to sound startled. He staggered to his feet, wobbled for a moment, then spun awkwardly, slowed down by the thick layers of clothing keeping him from freezing the hell to death. Axel was descending, each step deliberate, firm, his face a blank, hard mask. His hands were tight fists by his sides, shaking slightly. Demyx's eyes widened at the sight of him.

"Axel!"

The redhead just about ran down at the sound of his voice, closing the distance between them before the blond could flee, eyes like slits, stabbing a finger into his face and hissing, _"You!" _His lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl. "You fucking _slime! _You _asshole, _you… _traitor!" _On the last word, Axel slammed him into the wall with a sharp push. The boy's head slammed audibly against the stone, painfully. The sound virtually echoed along the staircase, Demyx's expression freezing, eyes flaring.

Time stopped for a few seconds. They stared at each other, neither saying a word. Axel was momentarily worried, wondering if he'd maybe pushed a little hard.

Then, Demyx pushed back.

He shoved the redhead, retaliating fiercely, fury born from shock, and Axel went sailing back, lost his footing, slipping and slamming down onto his butt. As his momentum threatened to send him tumbling down the rest of the steps, he cried out and scrambled for a handhold, Demyx in the next instant lunging to assist. He had fallen down three stairs by the time they jointly managed to stop him, by which stage both had scraped their knees on the hard stone corners, and Axel's ass was going agonisingly numb from the impact.

Their heavy breaths filled the sudden silence, a stunned air falling over them.

Then, indignation slowly rising, Axel realised, "…You tried to – push me down the stairs…"

Demyx gaped in amazement. "I did _not! _I _stopped _you from falling!"

"Yeah," the redhead sneered in response, "sure, once you realised what was gonna happen when everyone found out!"

"_I saved you, asshole!"_

"You _pushed _me, you _bastard," _Axel snapped back.

Demyx's outrage couldn't have been greater. _"You pushed me first!" _His voice was just about shrill enough to wake the dogs down in Hollow Bastion.

Axel glared savagely. "Only because you're a goddamn _traitor! _Sitting here, waiting for me to come along so you can tell DiZ about how I sneak in to see Roxas and Kairi!" His expression curdled into a sneer, as he added, "Is _that _how you got onto the dumpsite team? By kissing up to DiZ, telling him everything you could about me? Tell me, Dem, did he _care _that I steal rubber bands for my hair? Or did he think you're as full of shit as –"

Demyx cut off the tirade by punching Axel in the face. A second later, he was on his feet and racing down the rest of the stairs, while the redhead clutched at his face and groaned. Panicking, the blond cried in cracking tones, "Don't punch me back, don't punch me back, I'm sorry!"

From behind his cupped hands, Axel growled, "What… is… _your… PROBLEM?!" _He bellowed out the last of it, voice ringing in both their ears, Demyx wincing down in the firelight.

"What the _hell _is going on out here?!"

Both boys jolted at the sharp interjection. Though it had been spoken more quietly than either of _them _had been, it managed to whip through the mounting hysteria, effectively slashing it to pieces as Shalua Rui came striding down the corridor to stand next to Demyx. Axel's eyes widened as she shot a glower up his way. She pointed at him with her good hand. "You. Down here, now. I want an explanation for this, and I want it with a _minimum _of lame excuses."

Slowly, the boy dragged himself to his feet, the base of his spine throbbing painfully. He held onto the wall as he carefully descended, keeping the other hand gingerly over his upper lip. It felt like it had swollen to about twice its proper size, and was hot to touch with the tip of his probing tongue. Demyx was still looking like he expected Axel to throw a swing his way, but for the moment at least, the redhead was forced to merely glare at him.

Shalua had her hand on one hip, single eye going slowly from one boy to the other. "Alright. Start talking, one of you. Or both, I don't care. What makes you think it's okay to stand in a corridor at four in the morning and scream at each other, when others are sleeping or _trying _to work?" Neither responded, their eyes averting from her, Axel's sulkily, Demyx's unhappily. Arching an eyebrow, she focused in on the redhead, firmly persisted, "Come on, Axel, you're the one I know here. What gives?"

Axel drew his hand back, dabbing gently at his fat lip. There was a tiny spot of blood on his fingertip, from where Demyx's _knuckles _had managed to break the flesh against his _tooth. _He scowled heavily at the sight of it.

"Why don't you ask _him?" _He turned his accusing gaze over at the flinching blond, Demyx hurriedly wrapping his arms around his chest, glancing away from the injury he'd caused his so-called best friend. "Dem will tell you," the redhead continued acidly, just about spitting each word into the air. "He'll _happily _tell you _all _about the way I come here whatever mornings I can to go in and see my sister and best friend in Twilight Town. It'll make him a _star of DiZ's, _after all." As Demyx covered his face with his hands, Axel added maliciously, "Just watch out for him, is all. He might try to push you down some stairs afterwards."

"_No," _Demyx moaned from behind his gloves, shaking his head, bending at the waist.

Axel regarded him with disgust, folding his arms. "What's the matter, Dem? Truth hurts?"

When the blond straightened, when he pulled his hands down and glared, torn between anger and dismay, tears were glittering in his eyes. He let out an angry, strangled noise, hands stretching out towards Axel, shaking, looking like they didn't know whether to hit the redhead again or just start trying to throttle him. Heaving a breath into his chest, looking like he was having difficulty doing so, Demyx choked out, "I wasn't going to tell her, you _idiot!" _His hands gave up their struggle, flung instead down to his sides, forming tight fists. When he blinked, the tears escaped his eyes, started skating slowly down his cheeks as he pressed his lips together tight enough to turn them white. His entire body was rigid, arms stiff, voice trembling wildly as he explained, "I came… to give you… my hat! I knew… you would _be _here…"

Axel snorted. "Your _hat? _Why would I want _that _ugly thing?"

Shalua sent him a disapproving look as Demyx's head tilted back, a low, miserable keening coming out of his throat. Then the blond suddenly grabbed the tam hat from his head and flung it with all his might at Axel's feet. The desired impact was probably not achieved, the item hitting almost silently and going still, but his words more than made up for it as he all but shouted, _"So you can go to the fucking dumpsite, you _asshole!" His upset was swept away in the face of its replacement, self-righteous fury, Demyx throwing his hands up and ranting, "I _came _here so I could give you my _hat, _so that you can _impersonate _me and go on the stupid, idiotic, _stupid _expedition, the whole reason I ever _wore _it was for _this, _but then _you!" _He grabbed the sides of Axel's head, tugging on handfuls of hair in his intense frustration, making the redhead yelp and squirm. _"You had to go ruin it! _You're so busy _hating me _that you went and gave yourself _away!" _As Axel started shoving at his chest, he released the boy's hair, the pair of them breaking apart, breathing heavily, utter bewilderment having taken place of the distaste on the redhead's features. Tears still trailing down Demyx's face, the skin around his eyes reddening and becoming blotchy, the teen demanded, _"Why _would I do that to you, Axel? _Why _would I want to hurt you like that? _Why _would I try and turn you in?!"

Scalp throbbing, mouth throbbing, ass and spine throbbing, chest throbbing with the sudden increase of his heart's pace, Axel snapped defensively, "I don't know! Because – _because! _Because… something! _I don't know! _You're the one that's turned against _me,_ _you're _the one that wanted me to get caught!"

"_I never wanted you to get caught!" _As Demyx lurched forward, anger again bubbling over into aggression, Shalua intervened, grabbing his shoulder and holding him steady as Axel jerked back.

"Okay, you both need to calm down!" she snapped, tone laced with disbelief. When she'd come out to see what the noise was, the last thing she'd expected was to step into a teenage soap opera. "Just – everyone take a deep breath, and keep your voices down for half a second, okay?"

Both boys obeyed, overwhelmed by the intensity, the woman's heels the only sound as she swivelled on the spot, keeping contact with Demyx, who had ceased shaking so badly now, no longer trying to get to Axel. But his frustration – it was still there, still strong on his features. His eyes were closed, a look of concentration in place as he attempted to do as she had said and settle down. Axel stared, mind grinding to a halt as a realisation occurred, catching up to his stubbornness.

As Shalua murmured, "Are you alright?" Demyx nodded quickly, shrugged her off, lips pursed, brow creasing.

Axel inhaled deeply, then demanded, "Wait… what did you say? A minute ago? About – about me going instead of you?"

Demyx threw his fingers through his hair, shifting restlessly on the spot, glancing agitatedly at Shalua. "I wanted to… swap with you. I thought that… if I wore that hat a lot, people would get used to seeing it on me, and – that way, you could hide your hair, and…"

Axel studied him flatly. "But Dem – you _wanted _me to get caught the other night. You knew they were there, and didn't _tell_ me." He turned his gaze to Shalua, relating dispassionately, "You might as well know the full story, after everything you've heard so far. I want to go to the town hall ruins. I wanna go so badly. I was going to try and sneak off on one of the bikes the other night. But I changed my mind, worried about getting caught and banned from the dumpsite entirely, and when I started to go back to my room, he was waiting for me. He _knew _I'd gone…" He turned back to the blond, finishing angrily, "But you didn't even _try _to stop me. You would have let me get caught! You were _expecting _them to be there, just like I ended up figuring out, but you didn't even _try!" _Demyx weathered the accusations stoically as Axel continued, "So why the hell else would you be lying in wait for me _here, _Dem, if it's not to try and get me in trouble? Why would you _want _to give me your position on the team?"

The blond teen stared at the wall for a moment, looking deflated. He seemed cold without his hat on; Axel could just about feel his body temperature dropping from here, along with the heat of his rage. "It's because I… want you to like me again." Pale eyes darted up briefly, but couldn't maintain contact with Axel's green, flitting back down to the stones again "And, like I've said all along, I didn't _want_ you to get caught.The last thing I ever want is for – someone I care about to be unhappy. But…" He sighed, then muttered, "You don't know what it's like living with you when you get worked up over your parents. You get obsessed. You go nuts, and start fights and arguments, because you're so on edge." He sighed. "I just… wanted… for someone to talk some sense into you. Or something. I don't know." He rubbed his forehead with the heel of one palm, the eyes of both Shalua and Axel boring into him. "I just wanted you to _stop, _Axel. I wanted you to be a little more normal again, and I thought that if you did get caught, maybe you'd learn your lesson. Maybe you'd back off a little." He grimaced. "…So much for _that _theory." He shut his eyes for a moment, looking pained. "I just didn't want you to _go. _I was _worried _for you."

Regarding him narrowly, the redhead coolly prompted, "And you changed your mind _because?"_

Demyx blinked slowly, still gazing at nothing, refusing to meet the other's stare. "…I told you. I want us to be friends again, and this was all I could think of to make you stop being mad. I'll see the ruins eventually. It doesn't matter to me like it matters to you, and even though it's hard around you when you get all… intense… I don't want you to miss this. It's too important to you." He was quiet for a moment, before murmuring, his words clear in the silent passageway, "I want you to be happy. And if making you miserable is what it takes…" He trailed off, words hanging heavily in the air between them.

"I think… this is my cue to leave," Shalua said quietly, after a long pause. Both boys looked over, almost startled by her voice. She wore a shrewd expression, a deep understanding in place that neither of the teens seemed to share in. She let her hand fall to her side, bowing her head and shaking it slightly, honey-coloured hair falling over her shoulders. "You kids… you've got some real issues, you know that?" She lifted her eye, the glasses on her nose glinting in the firelight. "For both of your sakes… I didn't hear anything, gentlemen." She slipped the hand into the pocket of her coat, adding, "I was just heading to bed, anyway." She inclined her head briefly to each of them in turn. "Good luck sorting everything out." She stepped past Axel, her shoes clicking up the stairs, taking her vanishing around the corner. Within the minute, they were alone again, just the two of them.

The silence was awkward, misshapen, all hard edges and sharp corners. "…The expedition." Demyx's voice echoed in the new stillness, sounding flatter. "It leaves soon."

Axel scrutinised him openly, green irises ticking back and forth over his features. "…I still don't get it. How could you _not _want to be there?" Leaning forward, pulling his shoulders up as his arms crossed more tightly over his narrow chest, he asked incredulously, "How can you think about giving that away?"

Demyx finally, _finally _looked at him, held his gaze this time, a helpless grimace in place. _"That's _why. Because if it was someone doing the same for me, I wouldn't be asking that like they're crazy for even considering it. This _matters _to you. So much more than to me." The boy hesitated, then bent and retrieved the woollen hat from the stones. He fingered the fabric for a moment, rolling the hat in his hands, before holding it out, offering it to Axel's silence. "I don't need to see where my mom's bones are lying," he said simply. "But you do. So, the instant I found out I'd been chosen… I started wondering how would be the easiest way to sneak you in my place." Beseechingly, he added, "That's all, Axel. All this time, it's just been because of how you go with your parents. I never wanted to make you hate me." He pushed the hat forward, urging the redhead to take it. "Please. I want us to be friends again. Maybe I can't be your best friend… but…"

"But you're up there," Axel softly, resignedly finished, "right?"

The smile that spread slowly, cautiously across Demyx's face was like daylight hesitantly coming. "Yeah."

Axel took the hat, and a moment later, as if this was some signal, Demyx was hugging him tightly. Eyes rolling, Axel tried half-heartedly to wriggle free. "Get off me, jacktard," he sighed. "You know I owe you a fat lip, still, right?" Demyx jerked guiltily, pulling back, feet shuffling sheepishly.

"Yeah, well… don't shit-talk me and you won't get punched," he said, attempting bravado. He wilted slightly under Axel's quelling look, before the redhead turned his attention down to the hat in his hands. Uncertainly, he pulled off the warmth already encircling his skull, feeling the cold attach itself to his vulnerable ears and scalp. Demyx took the beanie from him, watching as he instead drew the tam hat on, forcing his hair into the pocket it provided. He glanced at the blond, stepping back and uncomfortably holding his arms out a little. "I, uh… don't feel like I suddenly look like you," he confessed. Dem hesitated, nodded.

"Yeah, well, there's definitely some… facial differences there." He thought for a moment, then darted a hand out, grabbing hold of Axel's coat and starting up the stairs. "Come on, I think I know what we can do." He tugged as Axel instinctively pulled back, looking over his shoulder and insisting, "Axel, come _on. _They're leaving soon, didn't I tell you? If you're not there, they'll either send someone to see what's keeping me, or just leave without _either _of us!"

Still reluctant, not sure yet if he'd forgiven the blond's attempt to let him be caught, the redhead nevertheless caught up, the pair ascending swiftly, hurrying along the hallways, eyes and ears alert for any other presences. Axel recognised the direction of their destination quickly, started pulling ahead as they made for the bedroom they hadn't been sharing for almost a week now.

As he pushed the door open, he saw the lump of Tidus filling his bed, the blankets moving minutely with the teen's each slow breath. The redhead stopped abruptly, inhaling a hiss, the loud scuffle of his steps stirring the slumbering blond. Demyx slammed directly into his back, biting back the grunt that almost burst out, steadying himself on Axel's shoulders. They both froze as Tidus let out a murmur and turned over, an irritated sound escaping his throat.

As they stood rooted in place, however, the seconds passing with what felt like a dozen frantic heartbeats for each one, the older boy settled back down and continued sleeping. Twin breaths were slowly released. Demyx patted Axel's shoulder swiftly, slipping past him and tip-toeing to the drawers, where he quietly slid one open and started pulling out clothing items. He glanced back to where the redhead stood awkwardly, feeling like an interloper in his own room, and pointed sharply at the foot of the bed, whispering, _"The coat! Get into my coat!" _

Axel blinked, snapped into action, going to where the blond's paler coat lay rumpled, the one reserved for the merciless outdoors, thick and unyielding to the cold. He quickly yanked off his own brown one, sliding his arms into Demyx's and buttoning it firmly, tugging the pocket of his hat from under the collar. Demyx was there a moment later, wrapping him in multiple scarves, swathing his entire lower face, hiding away his slender nose, his swollen lip, the narrower set of his jaw, the tips of his ears and faint peek of red escaping the hat's confines. He buried their ends down the front and back of the coat, wherever they ended up, stuffing it to obscure the shape of Axel's shoulders, which had begun to broaden slightly more than Demyx's in the last several months. Eyeing the redhead critically, Demyx reached up and adjusted the hat, drawing it low enough to cover his eyebrows, until there was only a strip of pale skin and two bright eyes intently visible. The blond stepped back, trying to view him objectively, struggling to see him as himself from another's point of view.

Muffled, Axel whispered, "Well?"

Demyx shrugged at last, a helpless sort of gesture. "It'll have to do. I think it might work?" Axel scowled within the many layers.

"That's good enough for me. Where do I have to go?"

The blond worried. "Everyone was meant to meet in the dining hall for an early breakfast – but if they go without me, they'll be leaving from the entrance hall. Maybe – maybe if you wait outside? Just outside? Then you can just join up and… not talk a lot?"

Axel sighed, doubt beginning to overwhelm. "…This probably isn't going to work, is it?"

Demyx's eyes shimmered with uncertainty, the boy biting his lower lip, folding his arms over his stomach as he shrugged. "It's the best shot you've got. If it's not this… it won't be til spring that you get there."

His words sank into Axel's mind gradually, the redhead nodding slowly. He twisted, checking on Tidus, grimacing behind the many scarves. He jerked his head at Demyx, the two of them exiting back out into the hallway, closing the door carefully. "I guess I don't have a choice," he said tightly, more audibly. Demyx shot him a dubious look.

"…Well, you could always just – _not _go. That's the only other decision." Axel let out a short laugh, Demyx nodding heavily. "That's what I figured." He glanced down the flickering passageway with a sigh. "I guess I'll go climb into your bed, just in case anyone comes looking for me or something." He turned back to the redhead, a smile in place. "After all, we don't want them figuring us out before you're too far away to get sent back, right?"

Axel eyed him. "You know you'll get in trouble for this, right? You won't get elected for anything else for… like, forever."

Demyx shook his head. "Don't care," he mumbled. "I'm happier with the Twilight Town stuff than going on dumpsite expeditions, anyway. If all I do for the entire winter is clean old batteries, that's… pretty okay." He pushed out a smile. "It means I wouldn't have to get all damp and cold all the time."

Uncertainly, Axel agreed, but by now, it would have taken more than the threat of capture to deter him – sure, maybe he didn't like the thought of Dem getting in trouble… but there was no way in hell was letting this opportunity go.

They turned, heading towards Sora's room, silence between them now. Elsewhere in the castle, people were moving, busy, getting ready to set out, but, even with several of them being war-orphans, this section of the halls was still. Anyone who would be going along would have left already, their room-mates sleeping on regardless.

Axel and Demyx parted, Axel glancing in anxiously as the blond slipped through the doorway, catching a glimpse of Sora twisted in his sheets, no doubt cold. Before the other boy could close the door on him, he caught it, forced his face through, whispered, "Cover him up, he'll freeze like that."

Checking on the brunet, Demyx gave a firm nod, and with a faint smile, wishes of luck lacing the silent surface of his lips, he clicked it shut. Axel was on his own again.

Without the luxury of time to suddenly be staggered by how quickly everything had made an about-face, he continued quickly on, boots scraping the stones as he traversed the castle's warren of passageways, passing stained-glass made blank with outer darkness, feeling the ice in the air the closer he got to the structure's extremities.

It was a lucky thing that his and Demyx's frames were so alike – their height was nearly identical, now that the blond had started having growth spurts, and aside from the obvious differences in their features and colouring, it was plausible that they could be mistaken for one another.

Okay, so it hadn't happened _as yet,_ but Axel was willing to blame that on the aforementioned acknowledged differences and hope there was a first time for everything.

As he reached the front of the castle walls, he noticed dots of light appearing out the windows as he passed them, firelight in blurry blotches down in the darkness. Heart thumping hard now, he sped up, one hand gripping his multitude of scarves while the other lifted the heavy coat out of the way, allowing him to run. His feet slammed loudly in the hush, breaths caught by wool, heating his face, cheeks flushing as his blood pumped faster. Slowing only to make sure he didn't pelt headfirst down the main staircase, he rushed through the entrance hall, sprinting for the massive wooden doors.

Already, he could feel the harshness of the air, could feel it swirling under the high ceilings as if it had only recently been trapped there, as if the door had only moments ago been shut, the incoming chilly wind sliced off in its tracks. His shoes hit the slight slickness of what had been snowflakes blown in, before the above-zero temperatures had reduced them to little more than smears.

Reaching the large doors, he grabbed the handle of the nearest, threw his weight backwards, soles scraping the ground, fearful that the team would have already left. If he had to call after them, trying to catch up before the light got too far away and left him attempting to navigate territory made unfamiliar by the couple months' rain, would anyone notice the difference in his voice?

As the steel-lined wood groaned open, his heart leapt, all fears for the moment melting into relief. The expedition team milled about in front of the old castle, every second person wielding a large lantern or torch, the smell of burning kerosene riding the wind. Several heads turned at his panting exit, one of them twisting away and calling, "Demyx, present!" Axel recognised Paine's voice from under the thick layers of padding. Dem, it turned out, had chosen a good disguise for his face – almost everyone was similarly rugged up, and still managing to look achingly cold.

Luxord's voice came in response, acknowledging the girl's announcement, the redhead spotting him at the head of the group, ticking the blond's name off a list. It looked like he'd be the one leading them down to the city, with what was instantly recognisable as Rinoa on his left side, her dark eyes scouring the small group. Axel wished he'd paid more attention to the particulars of who would be going and what they were all meant to be doing, instead of blocking it all out the second the crushing disappointment had hit.

He ducked anxiously out of Rinoa's immediate line of vision, noticing Luxord's glance in his direction and hoping desperately that the vivid green of his eyes wasn't showing brightly in the firelight. As a hand fell on his shoulder, he jumped visibly, accidentally biting his injured lip, Yuffie's voice loud in his ear in the next breath: "Cutting it kind of fine, weren't you, kid? Didn't see you at breakfast, either. Didja sleep late?" She bounced in front of him, expression expectant, one of the few that didn't look thick-bodied enough to be _rolled _down the mountain. Not waiting for an answer, she suddenly squeezed him, his eyes widening briefly as she suddenly started poking and prodding at the lumpy stuffing of the scarf-ends. Instead of instantly shouting accusations, however – something along the lines of, 'Demyx _never _pads his shoulders!' wouldn't have gone astray – she exclaimed, "Jeeze, you guys sure need a lot of clothing, don't you?" She released him, much to his relief, and proudly placed her hands upon her hips, chin held high as she announced, "One of the first things you've gotta learn about being a ninja is _stealth – _you can't achieve that when you're the size of a house and about as graceful!" She tugged on the thinner sleeves of her single coat. "Gotta go with thermals, kid, thermals! I've got some _kickass _ones!"

"Oh, I don't know." Axel could have kissed Paine's feet as her dry, drawling voice approached, the girl joining the pair of them the group's outskirts. "I've seen some graceful houses before, Yuffie. Elegant architecture. Besides, I don't think Dem's the sort to grow up to be a ninja… an _artist, _maybe…"

His relief didn't last for long, turning cold like the night air, sticking spikes of ice into vital organs as she then turned to fully face him, commenting, "So I swung by your room to grab you, but you weren't there – you weren't anywhere. Everything cool?"

Axel swallowed thickly, Yuffie saving him from an immediate response by snorting a laugh, waving a hand to encompass their slushy surroundings. _"I'd _say everything's pretty damn _frigid."_

"Yes, well, you haven't been stupidly depressed over any idiot best friends lately," Paine curtly responded, "so I wasn't asking you."

"I might!" Yuffie protested. Paine fixed her with a flat gaze, Axel hurriedly lowering his eyes to the dark ground, afraid of the instant that she would look at _him _that way and discover the truth.

A slight pause developed, Yuffie looking altogether far too energetic to be harbouring any deep depression. "…Are you?" Paine eventually demanded resignedly, already knowing the answer.

"Well… I _might _have been," Yuffie pointed out. The taller girl let out a sigh, turned back to Demyx.

"What I'm trying to ask is: are you doing okay? I know you weren't happy about getting chosen over Axel, so I'm just glad you turned up." A dryness entered her tone. "You had me worried for a couple minutes there."

Axel risked a slight laugh, face desperately averted, anxiously plucking the scarves higher up his face, virtually obscuring his eyes. He shrugged, Paine frowning at the reaction.

"_All right!" _Axel sighed his silent thanks as Luxord's voice sailed thinly through the frozen air. The group turned as one to face him, Rinoa beside him holding aloft a lantern hooked onto a broom-handle, the heavy implement swinging slowly in the stiff wind. The man was holding his folder against his warmly-clad chest now, chin raised to let his words reach over the weather. "Now! There appears to be a storm heading this way – it'll hit by nightfall, apparently, with worsening conditions throughout the day."He squinted through the bright light, blindly gazing over at the darkness. "We'll just have to make sure we wrap up in time, and everyone keep an eye on the skies."He drew a cold breath, shivering as it obviously pierced his insides, continuing, "As for the journey, let's all be sensible, please. I know I can trust you all, so I shouldn't even have to stay this, but for the love of God, don't go wandering off. You'll get your chance to explore once we reached the wreckage. Until then, just – keep yourselves in line, because I can't be looking everywhere at once."

He lifted an arm, pointing over towards the side of the castle. Axel twisted, following the direction of the gesture, and spied a row of hand-drawn carts tucked against the wall, some made of wood, others of metal, their handles lying on the earth. "The carts are over there, grab one each, and once Rinoa and I are content that everything's in order, we'll set out. Go on, all of you."

The group – about ten people large, Axel noticed, performing a quick count – headed over to obey the man's instruction. To his dismay, Rikku's voice chirped out from under a heavy, white, hooded coat, the girl joining him and Paine. "How's it going, Dem? Cold enough for ya?"

Shivering already, he exaggerated the distortion it caused in his voice, answering briefly, _"Yeah." _He hurried to the carts, snatched up the handle of a red, metal one, and dragged its wheels through the layer of frost back towards Luxord, hoping to leave the women behind.

"Demyx?" For God's sake, was the blond a female magnet when Axel wasn't around? Rinoa intercepted him with a frown. "Did you eat? You shouldn't have missed the meal like that, we all need our energy for this."

"Aw, leave the kid alone," Yuffie complained, coming up alongside them. "Jeeze, what is he, made of glass? If he didn't eat, he'll find out soon enough why he's an idiot."

"And then what?" Rinoa demanded, the lantern swinging on the pole as she cocked a hip to one side. Yuffie shrugged.

"And then, I give him some of my chocolate stash. It _is _good for hiking." She patted her backpack brightly. "I never come up here without a decent haul!"

Rinoa gave up. "Just – in future, please show up when and where you're supposed to," she reprimanded Axel firmly. "It's good for keeping track of everyone."

"Oh, when did you become such a mom?" Yuffie complained, hooking an arm through the other girl's and leading her over back to Luxord.

Whatever arguments Rinoa might have had lined up were drowned out, Luxord again sending his voice over their heads: "Is everyone prepared? And, and this is vital – _does anyone need the bathroom? _I'm telling you now, pissing in snow isn't all the fun it's made out to be; certain anatomical pieces get _cold, _gentlemen, and I don't even want to _consider _what it's like for the ladies."

"The ladies are smarter than that," Rikku shouted, shifting impatiently, gloved hands clutching the handle of her cart. "Can we please skip the 'and if you kids fight, we're turning this car _around' _speech and just get going?"

"Some of us don't need to pee in snow in order to get cold all over," Paine added. "Motion would be nice."

Luxord snorted, responding at a more level volume, "You say that now, but just you wait, halfway down you'll be _begging _for a break."

"Oh, right, because we've never made _this _trip before," the girl retorted. Luxord lifted his shoulders, sighed a lungful of steam, glancing over at Rinoa.

"Well? Doth the lady decree us ready to depart?"

Her piercing eyes passing over them all one last time, the girl gave a steady nod. "Everything's looking fine. Everyone's here – let's go."

Axel's boots crunched over the fine ice and thin layer of snow coating the ground, the gravel beneath sliding a little under each step until he found the right amount of traction. Like a caravan, they all spread out evenly in single and pairs, the sounds of feet and rolling wheels filling the night, Luxord murmuring conversation to Rinoa as the pair took the lead. Rikku and Paine stayed behind him, Axel taking the more or less middle of the group, keeping distance from whoever he could.

For the moment, the redhead was alone, intensely grateful for the fact. He felt the castle diminishing behind him, felt the still, quiet lanterns and the louder flickering rustle of open flames clinging to torches become oases in the blackness, the option of turning and retreating to the relative warmth and light becoming rapidly distant.

A sliver of unease shuddered through the teen as he pulled his cart along behind him. If they discovered him now, would they send him back alone? Would the entire group stop and have to wait through the intense lecturing that would no doubt occur? He lowered his head, keeping his eyes hidden from anyone that might be glancing around, and focused on keeping his footing firm.

Gradually, the bobbing line of lights trailed slowly downward. Breaths steamed behind facial coverings, or met the air and vanished like ghosts. Conversation was kept to a minimum, everyone concentrating on where their boots were going, oppressed by the depth of the darkness, its consuming quality which they only just managed to stave off. It was an eerie world of its own, this cold, dismissive night. Axel wasn't used to being out in it like this. It was… intimidating.

His solitude lasted down the first half of the mountain, for about forty-five minutes. Then there was an increase of crunching as Paine's long legs took her to catch up with him in several strides, leaving Rikku further behind. She drew level, met Axel's pace, looked sideways at him as he sank further into his scarves. He could hear her puffing breaths behind her own coverings, her voice muffled as she said, "So – I thought you might want to know, I spoke to Axel last night." The redhead's stomach leapt unhappily. "Or, tried to. Aside from the obvious, I don't know what his problem is." She waited for the boy to say something, watching him for his reaction. When silence prevailed, she frowned. "…Dem?" His jaw clenched. "You haven't spoken two words – what's up with you?" She peered at him closely. "You don't come to breakfast, you turn up late, you keep to yourself the whole time – this isn't like you. Did something happen?" Axel shook his head, grunting as much response as he dared. Paine was unconvinced. "Maybe I should get Rikku to try this," she muttered uncertainly.

"No!" Rikku would get in his face, hang all over him, harangue him until she discovered the problem. His head had shot up, panic striking, startling the older girl. He could see her wide, surprised eyes in the nearby lantern-glow. Almost as soon as their gazes met, he threw his face back down, hoping like hell that she hadn't…

"…_Axel?" _She spoke in an incredulous whisper. The boy nearly choked. He shook his head again, desperately. Paine's hand snaked out a second later, grabbing his hat, jerking it back a little. He stopped sharply, snatching for it, but it was too late – she had revealed the blazing tips of his hair. In the next moment, she yanked it back down again, hissing, _"What the hell do you think you're doing? Where's Demyx?"_

"He – he gave his place to me," the redhead explained frantically. "He wanted me to go instead of him."

Paine gaped. "You have got to be _kidding _me."

Axel turned to her urgently. "Don't tell Luxord or Rinoa! _Please, _Paine. I _need _this."

Keeping the discussion quiet, she demanded, "And what about Demyx?"

"I _told _you," the teen desperately insisted, "he _gave _it to me. He was planning to right from the start!"

Angrily, the girl spat, "And have you finally stopped _hating _him now? Now that he's given you what you want?" Stung, Axel buried his chin further down, eyes briefly closing.

"There was… a misunderstanding…"

"No _shit, _you don't say?" Her volume had started rising, but she cut it abruptly back down. For several feet, nothing further was spoken. Axel could feel her fuming. "So…" She was calmer, but still pissed. "That's why you were late, then. Because Demyx wasn't even planning on coming. The two of you were trying to make you look as… Demyx as possible."

Axel stared over at her. "You won't tell, will you?"

She sighed loudly. "Not yet I won't."

The redhead stiffened. "You can't at _any _time!"

"What about when we get there?" she whispered fiercely. "When everyone is pulling their gear off and getting ready to work? This crappy disguise won't cut it, Axel. Besides, they think they have _Demyx – _Rinoa and Luxord need to know they have _Axel, _you've both got totally different scavenging skills." She sent him a hard, unimpressed look. "You wanted to be part of this, so you _will _be. This isn't some mourning opportunity for you – it's _work. Hard _work. You're not going to get a chance to lay down flowers, you know."

"_I know that," _the boy hissed. "What am I, an idiot?"

"You don't expect me to answer that, do you?"

"Hey, guys, what's happenin'?!" Rikku's bright voice chirped. Axel sent Paine a desperate look – Rikku, even trying to be subtle, would inevitably yelp something way too loud to ignore if she found out the truth about him. He could see that Paine felt the same way – with a look of frustration flashing through her visible features, she fell back, grabbing Rikku before the blonde could catch up, and pulled her further away. They returned, the girl's protests ringing audibly through the night, to where they had been previously walking, several meters behind the redhead.

Axel let out a careful breath, head bowed. So, it was out now. And, when they reached the bottom of the hill, Paine was going to reveal him to Luxord and Rinoa. There was no way he was avoiding the confrontation, no matter how much he wanted to, because the older girl had been completely right – if they thought they had Demyx, they'd try to get him to crawl into places he couldn't fit, where he knew the blond would easily have been able to because of his narrower frame. Sure, Demyx was _starting _to bulk out… but he was still small _enough. _Axel was better at climbing awkward towers of rubble, braving tougher conditions and dragging things out with his strength and determination. No doubt that would come in handy… but he didn't think that would necessarily be the first thing to occur to them.

These people _never _looked on the bright side.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Holy god, another long one, and STILL haven't finished the year off! IT IS THE YEAR THE NEVER ENDS, YES IT GOES ON AND ON **MY FRIEND, SOME BI-ITCH STARTED WRITING IT, NOT KNOWING HOWLONGITWASGOINGTOTAKE, AND SHE WILL KEEP ON WRITING IT FOREVER… JUST IN – CASE? **Can't win, don't try – got it :D

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CHAPTER TEN

By the time the collection of castle inhabitants reached the base of the mountain, their order had shifted slightly, Yuffie now at the head with Luxord, leading them expertly through the last of the darkness. Her breathless words could be heard, floating on the steam she exhaled, as she maintained her talkativeness even after the exertion of the descent.

The rest of them marched grimly in her wake, Luxord giving her only half-hearted attention, keeping his eyes on the earth. Axel had heard, in passing, that the Committee and war-orphans were going to be teaming up, possibly during the spring, to better forge the road up and down the mountain. Though they were steady enough in shape, the constant streams that forged their way down the dirt paths during the wet autumns and frozen winters regularly eroded their stability, making it necessary each year to reconfigure what parts were safe, and which would lead one tumbling down into one of the many valleys or ravines. It would be a good investment – that way, Leon's Restoration Committee wouldn't need guides at the start of every warmer season up near the top, and the castle's resident's would similarly not need hyper-chatty ninja girls to guide their steps through the mud down the bottom.

"Oop, watch yourself, Rin," Yuffie sang lightly, as the teen went slipping down a sharp decline into a ditch, desperately holding her mounted lantern aloft, the glass and metal case swinging violently.

Luxord choked, leapt to extend a hand down to her, demanding, "Are you alright, love?"

Rinoa let out a low noise like a growl, her gaze on Yuffie as she climbed awkwardly to her feet at the bottom, caked in mud, asking, through clenched teeth, _"Why _didn't you warn me that the edges are crumbling?"

The ninja blinked innocently as Luxord took the lantern, trying not to overbalance, straightening and giving it to Yuffie to hold as he turned to pull the girl herself carefully back up, watching his own footing all the while. "Oh, I didn't? I'm sorry!" Yuffie shook her head in exasperation with herself, clicking her fingers regretfully. "And now look at you," she sighed, gesturing to the brunette's filthy appearance as she reached the path, boots finding more solid ground. "You're gonna be all dirty when Leon sees you!"

Rinoa's glare could have sliced flesh, but Yuffie had promptly spun around to check on the stragglers. Axel, observing the interaction with some humour, quickly lowered his gaze again as he neared the scene, tugging his cart to keep it close, wanting to give them no reason to single him out. He passed Yuffie's bright countenance, Rinoa attempting to swipe the mud from her pants, Luxord too focused on kicking the clinging clods from her coat hem to pay attention to his walking charges. "How are you? You're not hurt?"

"I'm fine," Axel heard Rinoa sigh, raising his head a little once he knew he was safe from their sharp eyes. With the drama all over, the group continued on, thinning out into single-file through the rocky, crumbling earthen walls as the path narrowed. Chunks of stone littered the way, making it hard going for the carts, the youths often having to pause and yank them hard. When they reached a section where the left-hand wall itself had started a slow, sludgy collapse, Luxord called a halt, his hand high in the air. Turning to Yuffie, he muttered, "We can't get the carts over this."

"Were you planning on telling us _any _of the road's conditions?" Rinoa asked archly, evidently having not yet forgiven the ninja for the ditch-slide. Yuffie scowled, her face illuminated by the multiple fires, and the slightest hint of daylight as the sun began approaching the horizon.

Ignoring the other girl's jibe, she studied the path carefully for several moments, before raising her voice and announcing uncertainly, "…It wasn't like this when I left the city yesterday." Her dark eyes turned up to meet Luxord's, a helpless shrug shifting her narrow shoulders. "Sorry, but this happened during the night, I guess. All of the afternoon rain must have loosened it too far."

The man sighed, running a hand over his dark beanie, considering the options. "Well, it's still passable for _us, _but the carts…" He turned to look at all the curious, expectant faces shining in the firelight. He wiped at his mouth thoughtfully, before clapping his hands sharply, raising his voice to call, "All right, everyone – new method of transport. All of you, if you can, pick up your cart and hold it over your head. In fact, hold it _on _your head, if possible – it'll be less work for your arms."

There was some murmuring among the ranks, but after a few dubious looks were cast at their peers, the teens all attempted what had been advised. With the wooden ones, help was often needed to lift them high enough, too many dense, metal struts forming the frames to be able to manage them alone. Axel, with his red metal one, had a slightly easier time, muscles hardening as he heaved it over his head, the wheels spinning gently at the motion, globlets of dirt dropping back down to the ground. Luxord paced at the head of the group, watching them keenly, ready to plunge into their midst if anyone had too much trouble and needed their cart carried for them. As it was, Yuffie and Rinoa were both helping two of the smaller-bodied teens with theirs, but so far, no one had needed rescuing.

Belches of strong-smelling smoke entered the air as the wooden torches were reluctantly plunged into cold, wet dirt, doused since they could no longer be safely or effectively wielded. Within five minutes, the grunts and groans and complaints had died down, and they were all ready to resume the last leg of the journey. The horizon just the slightest bit more silver-lined, Luxord cast one more glance around to make sure everyone was organised, before calling them back into motion, cautioning, "Be careful, though – it's slippery."

Like odd turtles, hot lanterns dangling from cart handles, the collective picked their way through the mud, Axel able to hear his breaths echoing and rebounding around the red walls surrounding his head. His arms ached as he was forced to hold the cart up a little, allowing him to see where he was stepping without colliding into the person in front, which, after the shuffling around, had ended up being Paine. He could see the glow of the lantern she'd volunteered to carry instead of Rikku, the lithe, beaded blonde struggling enough as it was with one of the wooden carts. The light pooled and spread, becoming hazy at its edges before losing its battle against the darkness.

Once they had got beyond the landslide, Luxord called the signal for them all to lower their carts again, heads and shoulders sore from the effort, but from here, it was plain sailing to the Bailey, where Leon would be waiting to escort them through the city. Axel took a moment, after a pointed glare from Paine, to make sure all his covers were in place, before picking up his cold handle and continuing.

Though the sky was brighter by the time they reached the stone outskirts of the broken city, the lanterns were still working perfectly, lighting the way necessarily. Shadows still overwhelmed the world, looming in every direction.

As the bedraggled team entered the Bailey, its open wall looking out onto the largest ravine and distant castle, the space chilly from the constantly incoming breaths of wind, they stopped, finally able to let go of their carts for several minutes. They drank and stretched their muscles as Luxord, Rinoa and Yuffie went to verbally tackle the guards at the gate. Burning torches punctuated the stone wall in steel brackets, their flames warm-looking, swaying and snapping in the breeze. Axel used the opportunity to renew the stability of his disguise, feeling nervous and vulnerable now that he was so close to having to take it off for good and expose himself to Luxord's mercy.

As he tugged anxiously at the scarves, having virtually mummified his lower face, Paine came up beside him with a loud exhalation. He glanced over, scowled and looked away.

"So, how are you gonna do it?" she asked, conversationally.

"Oh, I don't know," Axel muttered, voice stifled by all the tightly-wrapped wool. "I was thinking of pulling everything off and shouting, 'surprise!'"

"Your plan is, as ever, startlingly well thought out," the girl responded sarcastically. Rikku bounced up alongside them a second later, the hood of her coat for the moment lowered, her braids freely swinging and clicking.

"Hey, guys! What'cha talking about? Dem, man, what's up? You've been so _silent!"_

"Oh," Paine threw her a bored look, "did I forget to mention that he's actually Axel in disguise, trying not to get caught out?"

Rikku laughed, slapping the redhead on the back. "Sure, Paine. I can totally see the similarities between Demyx and _Axel." _She then looked the glaring boy straight in the face, the light strong and steady in the small area, and gasped, hands leaping up to smother her mouth. "Oh, wow," she squeaked, eyes wide. She punched Axel's shoulder in the next breath. "And where the _hell _is Demyx, may I ask?" she demanded, none too quietly.

Eyes like slits, Axel hissed to the taller girl, "I hope you're _happy, _you just told the local _bigmouth _my secret. She's gonna tell everyone!" He threw his hands up agitatedly. "At least if you'd given me a _chance _to, I might've got some points on honesty, but now Luxord and Rin are gonna find out before I can even try!" To Rikku, he snapped, "Dem gave me his place in the team, okay? He did it so I'd forgive him for thinking he knows what's best for me. He _wanted _to, so could you shut the hell up, for maybe _half _a second, so I can tell Luxord in my own time? I don't wanna get busted before I'm _ready _to."

"Yeah, it's really more the sort of thing that requires mental fortitude." Paine rolled her eyes, arms characteristically loosely crossed over her stomach. Before Axel could grind out a suitably scathing answer, however, an angry volley of voices caught his attention, along with the other nine youths hanging around waiting for the next go-ahead from Luxord. They all turned, gazing over to where the blond man stood with Rinoa and Yuffie, facing off against four Zanarkand soldiers. As Axel's eyes narrowed on the scene, he noticed the soldiers wearing smug expressions, and wondered suspiciously what had got them so pleased with themselves.

On the other side of what seemed virtually like a barricade of Zanarkand uniforms, they could hear Leon's voice, raised and biting, the teen being utterly ignored. Luxord glanced over his shoulder, noticing the attention of his charges with a flash of frustration, turning back and lowering his tone, speaking more urgently for a moment. Rinoa, in the next moment, twisted her head to look at them all worriedly, the soldiers' gazes ticking up a bare second later, whatever appeal the man had made on behalf of the youths suddenly occurring to them as a weapon. The smirks of three of them grew, the fourth, older, looking less entertained but nevertheless approving of the practice.

Axel felt an instant burst of dislike, gaze hard as their eyes took in the collection of young teens. "Oh, I don't think so," the ringleader of the trio said, in response to Luxord's murmured request. Reaching up to flick some rust-reddish hair from his eyes, tucking it behind a blue headband, the male, a slight sneer in place as he inspected the ragtag assortment, continued, "Miss Scarlet's orders were clear. All of you need to be registered to get into the city, and searched in full."

"But it's _our _city, too," Rinoa argued hotly. "Just because we live up in the castle doesn't make us any less Hollow Bastion citizens!"

"Then maybe you should stop being so high and mighty up there," the soldier replied coolly, "and come down to live with all the other peons." He took a wad of papers that one of his cronies had fished out and handed over, flipping through them idly and holding them up in front of Luxord's helplessly aggravated expression. "All of these need to be done in full to gain temporary access to the city and all its facilities – ones for the guardians, and ones for the brats. And we need you all to strip off so we can make sure you're not smuggling illicit goods from the castle."

"Now, just wait one goddamn second," Yuffie spat, hands on hips. "That bitch is _not _in charge of Hollow Bastion's security, and she sure as hell doesn't have the authority to keep us out of our own _city_. Zanarkand isn't here to occupy, it's here to keep the peace."

"All I keep hearing," the soldier said acidly, sneering spite dripping from every word, "is you _begging _me to lock you out for good."

Luxord interrupted warily, holding up a hand and saying, _"No. _Please, let's all of us calm down. I'm sure there's a way we can sort this out without anyone's civil rights being breached…"

The dark-skinned young man beside the ringleader barked a laugh, arms folding. "Civil rights? Hollow Bastion? You're just a bunch of hicks. And Miss Scarlet's orders came straight from the top – you're not getting past unless you do as we _say, _right, Bickson?"

With the kind of smugness that ached to be wiped off with fists, the redhead nodded. "Right. Miss Scarlet said you assholes are operating illegal computer programs and shit up there. We've gotta make sure we know _who _comes in, _when _they come in, and what they're _bringing – _whether or not they want Zanarkand to find out they've got it." He jeered. "At the gates, you don't _have _civil rights, Hollow Bastion." He shoved the documents into Luxord's chest, the fair-haired man taking them slowly, lips pressed thin, skin a shade paler with repressed anger.

From the background, Axel heard, "God_ damn _it, this is _bullshit!" _from Leon, where he paced behind the human blockage dressed in steel and green, on the other side of the proceedings. "You can't just pass random laws without running them past the city official!"

The older guard laughed, without turning. "DiZ doesn't get to approve this one, kid. Conflict of interest. It was decided for the good of Zanarkand." In an automatic motion, all four soldiers straightened and slammed a loose fist into the opposite shoulder, briefly saluting their nation. The entire situation was… sickening.

Luxord was running a blank eye over the papers in his hand, flicking through them with faintly growing disbelief. "…What, _all _of these?"

"For now," the one called Bickson sniffed, flipping his hair a second time, Axel aching to slice it off – the hand or the hair, he really didn't give a shit. "And, like I said, you all have to strip for a search."

"Impossible!" Rinoa interjected firmly. "It's simply not an option. You can _not _force us to remove our clothing in sub-zero temperatures. Forget civil rights if you want, but basic human need forbids it. We'll freeze!"

"So you'd better make it _fast," _the redhead replied, head tilting to the side, eyes taking her in unwaveringly. A moment later, a grin broke out across his features. "Come on, take off your clothes nice and quick now."

The older soldier cleared his throat subtly. "You will all empty your pockets, then take off your coats and let us make sure you don't have anything concealed on your person. It won't take long, and you can put your coats back on as soon as you're done."

"One by one," Rinoa returned sharply. "There are thirteen of us – that's too long for the last ones to go without their coats."

"Five by five," the man compromised coldly, "with the three of you going first, while they watch and see what they're expected to do."

"Deal," Luxord put in swiftly, before any further arguments could spit forth from either of the females. Looking as if it physically pained him, he nevertheless turned to look at his worried and uncertain charges, who had, of course, been listening keenly to every word exchanged. He drew a breath, shoulders lifting as his chest swelled, asking on the steaming sigh, "Does everyone understand correctly what's to be done?"

There was a round of silent, wide-eyed nods, with Paine muttering bitterly, "Not much to understand. Just a little oppression of the masses by Zanarkand. We're familiar with it by now."

"That's sedition," Bickson's blond, right-hand man said quickly.

"And this is Hollow fucking _Bastion,"_ the girl replied forcefully. "And you're _peacekeepers, _you can't tell us what to think, _or _say."

"Part of peacekeeping is keeping the rabble _down," _came the retort, before the older one placed a restraining hand on his shoulder, the blond forcing back his ire with a swallow, looking like he was being fed sour milk. He shot Paine a glance that she ignored, while the man commanded, "The three of you, over by the wall."

Luxord looked at the two women, a tight, apologetic smile in place. "…Very well. Ladies?"

As dawn's first weak glow seeped into the Bailey, Luxord, Rinoa, and Yuffie lined up in front of the long stone wall, between the wind-snapped torches, the blond handing the stack of papers in his hands to Paine. The girl only gave them the most cursory of glances before returning her attention to the spectacle at hand. A slow sense of horror instilled them all as the dark-skinned and blond soldiers stepped over, Bickson and the older one remaining at the open gate itself. Leon seemed to have disappeared for now, apparently refusing to watch the exhibition take place.

Beneath the many layers of his disguise, beneath the scarves, the hat, and Demyx's coat, Axel's seething rage began to cool into the first unnaturally icy trickles of realisation, of dread. His eyes slowly widened, as Bickson commanded, "Turn out your pockets."

"Do I hear a please?" Yuffie testily responded, but obeyed along with Rinoa, reluctant, and Luxord, dully despondent.

As they emptied their coats of what few belongings they'd brought along, Axel's back began to heat up, a flush spreading up his neck. He was going to get caught. He was going to have to _do this, _and the second he started removing everything, he'd be revealed for all the world to see. Perhaps, he wondered desperately, he could keep his scarves on, and his hat…? They'd only said about wanting to check for concealed stuff, after all, stuff that might be 'smuggled' in – he wasn't exactly going to be keeping anything crammed in around his face and head, right?

"And your hats," the blond one snapped, earning incredulous looks from both Yuffie and Rinoa, Luxord holding his tongue and, with a flat expression, doing as told, tugging his own beanie off, short hair fluffing up, the girls following suit.

"Shit," Axel muttered miserably.

"That about sums it up," Rikku agreed quietly beside him, sighing. "Welcome to your hour of reckoning, Ax." Paine, a little way ahead, watching grimly, said nothing. They all watched as, at each spoken command from either Bickson or the older soldier, their three seniors pulled off their heavy clothing, letting it slip to the ground, the two waiting soldiers going from sorting through their petty possessions to patting them down one at a time, both doing each person in case the first searcher happened to miss something. Yuffie glared daggers at the opposite wall, while Rinoa wore her expression flatly, unwilling to make a fuss and upset any of the other teens. Luxord endured it all placidly, keeping a diplomatic silence even as the ninja girl muttered curses under her breath at having first one and then another set of gloved hands groped their way down her narrow frame.

One by one, they were given the all-clear, and were allowed to don their clothing once again, Bickson sneering quietly over the dirty quality of Rinoa's coat, as if the inhabitants of Hollow Bastion were so many plague-ridden rats crying out for extermination. The girl's cheeks reddened slightly, but other than that, she gave no indication of having heard him.

The rest of the castle's youths, however, were all glaring by this point, ten sets of eyes pinning the soldiers, silent challenges in some, resignation in others. Luxord, clearing his throat audibly as he shrugged his coat back into place, darted them a sweeping glance, saying loudly, "There, now. You all saw how painless that was, correct? Just do as we did, and we'll be into the city in next to no time."

"Time to fill out the forms," Bickson reminded him, a mocking quality in his tone. Shooting him a narrow look, diplomacy stretching only so far in the face of such obvious power games, Luxord turned to Yuffie, the girl pulling a pen from her backpack and handing it over. He took the papers back from Paine, the girl shifting back to her peers, and sat down with a heavy breath, sheets rustling as he began to look through them intently.

"Okay, all of you, line up in the middle of the room, single file," Bickson said, stepping down with the older man, the pair of them replaced at the gate by the other two.

"Five by five," Yuffie reminded them sharply, refastening her bag.

"Of course," he replied silkily, pale eyes rolling. "Wouldn't want the castle brats to get their toes cold." To the teens, he barked, "Faster!" The two soldiers stood in front of them, the last scuffles dying down as they resentfully did his bidding, ending up shoulder to shoulder, the gaping window behind the men, the brightening horizon in view. The clouds were becoming apparent, the lighter it got. Cold breaths were chuffed out between clenched teeth as the older soldier cut his arm through the air at their centre, waving to the right and saying, "You five, you're first. Turn out your pockets, then take off your coats."

"Just like you saw me do," Luxord called from where he squatted, not taking his eyes from the sheets pressed to his thigh, struggling to not let the ballpoint break through as he scribbled.

Slowly, the first group moved to do as bidden, Rikku one of them, she and Paine the ones at the very middle where the separation had taken place. Paine stood stiffly beside her, hands in her coat, gazing resolutely at the window with Axel on her other side, ignoring the sounds of the small bits and pieces hitting the ground. Since the war-orphans had nothing of value to call their own that hadn't already been, or was in the process of being, inserted into the Twilight Town system, there was little for the guards to sort through. A couple of small firecrackers, several wads of wrapped up breakfast leftovers, the odd useless trinket – certainly nothing worth Zanarkand paying attention to.

But then, Axel doubted that Scarlet's intentions, when she'd given the order for this sort of treatment, had ever really been about hunting down contraband. This was about _control. _He wondered if Reeve had known about it – wondered if the man would have protested even if he had, whether or not he approved of it.

"And now your coats. Take them off, place them on the ground, and stand with your legs apart."

Paine growled softly, the faintest grinding at the back of her throat as Rikku and the others obeyed, pulling off their thicker layers, forced out of their hats if they wore one, piles of heavy fabric gathering on the stone. Instantly, the sound of shivering and chattering teeth could be heard, the ice in the air not waiting for even half a second to attack. All inhalations and exhalations suddenly became short and shallow, tormented whispers of voice entering them, steam pulsing out from lips that trembled.

"Arms by your sides," the red-haired soldier snapped, as they wrapped themselves in the only protection they had left. _"Now, _you little shits!"

"New regulations may be passed without DiZ's knowledge," Luxord said slowly from his position, still keeping his gaze on his task, "but there is no need, nor any excuse, for abusing children. I have your name, soldier – don't make me report you."

The rage on Bickson's face was incredible to see, Axel staring at the apoplexy, but yet another restraining hand from what seemed to be the younger three's keeper held back whatever the idiot desired to unleash upon DiZ's man. The redhead's anger didn't subside, but it was reined in, and he roughly stepped up to the first war-orphan, who flinched slightly at his aggression, and started searching them for hidden items. More calmly, the older one followed in his wake, more thorough in his hunt and yet somehow less invasive.

"Ow," Rikku whispered, as Bickson's fingers dug into her when he reached the end of the first five. The look on Paine's face made it seem as if she was about to kick the reckless man in the head as he bent, groping hard at the blonde's legs. Axel, watching her closely, grabbed her hand, distracting her attention so abruptly that she jumped, wine-coloured eyes swerving around to meet his, narrow and furious. Slowly, he squeezed her, shaking his head minutely. Paine licked her lips swiftly, drawing the bottom one in slightly and biting down what looked to be sharply, before giving a slight nod in return, her tense hand deliberately relaxing in his.

At last, the hush in the Bailey growing oppressive, the older soldier grunted, "First five, put your coats back on. Second five, pockets out."

So, this was it, then. Axel heaved a sigh, reaching into the warm depths of Demyx's coat, fingers closing on the small pieces of rubbish and couple of stray pretty rocks the blond had a habit of picking up. He yanked it all out, tossing it to the ground, a rusted bolt making a high noise as it landed, rolling into the folded pages of paper and breakfast leftovers Paine had dropped. Next, he pinched the inner fabric, pulling the pockets inside-out, hanging like sad ears on either side of his hips.

The soldiers kicked through the random belongings with disinterest, already probably aware that they weren't going to stumble across any secret plans or blueprints. "Coats off," came the next command. Eyes slipping shut, Axel's fingers went to his broad buttons, unpicking them one by one, knowing that delaying the inevitable would only draw attention to him. His legs and arms felt suddenly jelly-like, the shivers beginning before the cold even hit. Reluctantly, feeling Paine moving efficiently beside him, he dragged the heavy material from his shoulders and arms, all the stuffed scarf-endings falling chaotically down his front and back. He dropped Demyx's coat to the ground, and waited like a man expecting execution.

Paine was patted down, a twist of contempt glowing from her features as she watched the rust-red hair lower down her body. Axel briefly held his breath, hoping like hell the moron didn't grab her extra hard out of spite, earning a knee to the nose. She jerked slightly at one point, as the force of his pulling swayed her, but she remained tactfully still. Angry though she might have been, the girl hadn't earned a reputation for being cool and aloof by losing her temper at the drop of a hat. Paine held back, and before long, Bickson was moving on to be replaced by the older one.

Axel's turn.

"Get rid of the scarves," Bickson ordered impatiently. "And the hat. You saw how it happened for everyone else, stop slowing us down." Axel drew a breath, reached up and shakily began unwrapping himself from his coverings, resignation settling through his bones. Sick of waiting, the soldier grabbed at his hat, wrenched it off and hesitated. As he took in the sight of Axel's bright hair, a crooked smile crept over his mouth. "Hey, I've heard of you…" His gaze roved over the teen's spikes, his hand hovering for a moment. In the next second, with a sharp motion, Axel felt the perpetual tightness at the back of his head suddenly alleviate with a snap, hair springing out of its cruel confines, Bickson holding up the broken elastic band with a mock-regretful expression. "…Oops. It was an accident."

Axel regarded him with a vicious glare, shoulders twitching, but otherwise remaining still as his spikes slipped into their naturally chaotic state. He was utterly revealed now, in full view of a gaping Rinoa and Luxord, Yuffie looking merely puzzled.

"I didn't mean to," Bickson continued, turning to the older officer. "Honestly. It was just so tight, the second I touched his hair, it snapped right off!"

"Okay, just keep going, soldier," the man grumbled. "We don't wanna get reported."

Equally quietly, but more than audible enough to Axel and Paine, the guard replied with a sneer, "Who would care if they did?" His gaze found Axel, the look intensifying, becoming scornful. "It's just a bunch of war-orphan brats."

Axel held his arms up sharply, inviting the search to continue, narrow face tense. Disgust crawled under his skin as the man's hands made their way along his limbs and trunk, grabbing and feeling, before finally moving on to the next person, leaving the more experienced soldier to mimic his motions, carefully checking Axel for any weaponry or hidden objects.

"I, um… I'm going to need to fill out a different form," Luxord said weakly from the side of the room. "I… did one of the names incorrectly." With a snort, the blond one over near the gate obliged. The disdain in the air was incredible, oozing out from both sides.

The soldier finished with Axel, moved sideways, leaving the teen hug himself to keep warm, Paine and Rikku shooting him only borderline-sympathetic looks, all three of them knowing that whatever he got from all this, he deserved. Aside from his request for a new document, scrunching up the one that no doubt had Demyx's details all over them, there was no immediate reaction from the expedition leaders… but the scowl that Rinoa had briefly shot his way seemed to promise what was in store for him once they got somewhere quieter.

"All of you, coats back on," the older guard said gruffly. "Everyone's clean. You can enter the city once we've got all the proper documentation."

"Of course, thank you," Luxord muttered, still writing, Rinoa crouched beside him, taking each paper as he finished with it.

Paine, Axel, and the other three started the task of pulling their coats and other items back on, scooping their belongings from the ground, the redhead trying to make sure nothing of Demyx's got left there. Stonily, he stuffed his loose spikes back into the tam hat, making sure none were poking out. He hadn't thought to bring any other elastic bands – hell, he hadn't even known he was coming. His hair was free for the day, and he was severely unhappy about it. It made him feel weirdly exposed, and twitchy.

However, by the time the youths had all got their clothing back on, by the time, even, that the Zanarkand soldiers had inspected each and every one of the carts in search of hidden, forbidden things, Luxord was _still _working on the registering. His frustration was evident, but tamped down, kept reined tightly in against his skin.

"You wouldn't think it would take so long to put down all the details for a bunch of kids without homes," Bickson's dark-skinned crony muttered to his blond counterpart, the other man sniggering.

Bickson himself looked smug. "Now, boys, don't be rude," he admonished, waving a lazy finger through the air. "After all, the guy's trying to remember their Zanarkand correlation numbers, from when they were taken from their dirty little hovels and taken to the castle in the first place."

The blond guffawed. "You're kidding me! They've gotta put all that down?"

Luxord briefly squeezed his eyes shut, knuckles pressing into his brow, Yuffie, who had been waiting impatiently for Leon to come back from wherever he'd disappeared to over by the gate, turning with astonishment. "You can't be serious! They're like – fifteen digits apiece! I can barely remember my own!"

"It's fine," Luxord mumbled, sucking in a breath between his teeth. "I do know them. I _do._ It's just – taking a while to remember in full. I haven't looked at them in so long…"

"It's lucky for us Luxord is so good with numbers," Rinoa said coldly, shooting a hard look up at the amused soldiers. "Or we could have been forced back up to the castle."

"And what a shame that would be," Bickson replied witheringly.

"Huh. It's also lucky he's got contacts within the city." Heavy boots came stomping down the stairs to the gateway, the soldiers stiffening and turning, hands going to their belts, the short swords they carried for protection and crowd-culling.

A completely new energy swept into the Bailey as they parted to allow two city-dwellers to enter, one of them a grimly satisfied Leon holding a briefcase, the other a grizzled-looking blond with short hair, a sloppy appearance, and a cigarette clamped between teeth clenched so hard it looked like his jaw was wired shut. Yet, the man seemed relaxed, reaching up with calloused fingers to remove the pinched end of the cigarette from his mouth, letting out a breath of smoke into the crisply cold air. His pale blue eyes surveyed the collection of youths with disinterest, hearing a noise from Luxord and stepping away from him, realising he was virtually standing on the crouched man.

All four soldiers instantly stared glaring. "_Ex-_Captain Highwind," the older one bit off.

Flicking some ash away, the blond hoarsely replied, "I'm just going by 'Cid' these days, thanks all the same." The cigarette returning to its crushing vice, he placed his hands on his hips, gaze skating around the Bailey, before announcing, "Is it just me or is it _fucking _cold in here?" He turned to the Zanarkand guards. "No wonder you assholes are always so miserable, your cajones must've just about frozen right off by now, am I right?" He waved a dismissive hand. "These brats need to come back to the Restoration Committee HQ and warm up. Keeping 'em here constitutes as menacing the populace, under code 37589 in peacetime conduct." He sent them an unimpressed look. "Read your procedural handbooks, boys, and let them into the city – not necessarily in that order."

"Pardon _me, _Captain," Bickson cut in sharply, "but you're in no position to be passing off _orders. _You were discharged from the Zanarkand Corps. We got our orders from Miss Scarlet during her visit, and we intend to follow them."

"_Honourably _discharged, and don't you forget it, punk," the man corrected. He then smiled, cigarette bobbing against his lips as he continued, "And I don't intend to make you disobey orders, soldier. That would be irresponsible of us both, wouldn't it? Leon."

The patiently waiting teenager lifted the briefcase and handed it over, Cid taking it casually and unclipping the locks, swinging the lid up and presenting to the soldiers a pile of neatly arranged documents. "This Committee's got tabs on everyone in town," he explained lazily. "DiZ up there likes to make sure all the necessary people've got information on who does what goes where down here – I think you'll find everything you need for everyone present and accounted for."

Luxord brightened cautiously, standing with a rustle of blank sheets, peering into the case with growing hope. Then, as the soldiers began suspiciously looking in as well, he suddenly gestured for Rinoa, shuffling swiftly through the documents he'd already filled out, and yanked one from the others in her hands. "E-except for this one!" he corrected. "This one, you'll need, we made a last minute change on the group arrangement, so one of our numbers was replaced by another, and Leon wasn't informed on the matter."

Without missing a beat, Cid took the paper and placed it on top of all the others in the briefcase. "Except this one," he agreed. He snapped the case shut, pushing it towards the guards. "You'll find it's all in order, I can personally guarantee it, I've been looking through 'em lately while I get used to the ropes around here."

"Well, that's a great idea," Bickson snapped, snatching it away from him, "but we can't just let them wander in without officially being registered, and I'm afraid it might _take _us a while to sort through all these."

"No problem," the older man responded, not batting an eyelid. From his back pocket he pulled a newspaper, and went to lean against the wall. "I'll wait til it's all done in place of the kids. If anything's up, I c'n sort it out faster than them, anyway." He flapped the paper out, smiling blandly at the soldiers. "I'm used to Zanarkand bureaucracy, after all. It don't bother _me." _

"I think you'll find it's well within everybody's rights to follow that course of action," Leon contributed mildly, the soldiers' scowls switching over to him.

"You searched 'em all, right?" Cid checked, folding the paper over, tucking one hand under his elbow to hold it steady as he began reading. "Cuz if so, you got no reason to keep 'em."

"Actually, we _do," _Bickson argued loudly, stomping over towards him. "Just because we've got _some _documents doesn't mean they're the _right _ones."

Holding up a finger to silence him, not glancing up from his newspaper, the blond man corrected, "Actually, you _don't. _This is the part where the red tape enters, sunshine. If there's anything wrong with it all, you pull them up on it, but no fucker waits around while paperwork gets sorted for him." He pulled his cigarette out, spat a fleck of tobacco from the corner of his lip. "And like I said, that's what I'm here. Consider me your hostage, and hurry the hell up. I ain't got all day to stand around watchin' you monkeys try to read the big words."

Axel felt like cheering, and he could see from the growing grins on the faces around him that he wasn't the only one. Whoever the hell that Zanarkand ex-captain was, he didn't know he'd just been instantly elevated to hero status among the castle's lower ranks. Luxord took the pages from Rinoa that had been done and tidied them into a neat pile, reaching over to place them on top of the briefcase.

"…It'll have to do," the older soldier said at last, drawing an infuriated look from Bickson. Resentfully, the man added, "The Captain's right."

"Fuck him," Bickson snarled.

"Someone's got your name and serial number," Cid mumbled in a sing-song over against the wall, "and won't hesitate to report your bitch ass for verbal abuse of a civilian." Then, clearing his throat, he continued reading, expression easy.

Luxord, having got the go-ahead, clapped his hands sharply. "Alright, everyone! Get your carts, and let's get to the Committee headquarters for the debriefing from Leon, okay? Be quick about it, I believe we've spent more than enough time in here."

There was a scramble as they all hurried to do as he said before anyone changed their mind. As they lined up at the gate, Leon and Yuffie at the head and checking them over quickly, a hand fell heavily on Axel's shoulder, making him jump. He glanced up fearfully at Luxord, who was smiling pleasantly, eyes straight ahead, but murmured, "You, young man, have got a _hell _of a lot of explaining to do, as I'm quite sure you're aware."

He sighed, nodded resignedly, turning his gaze forward as Yuffie chirped, "Okay, guys, we're ready to roll! Just follow us to the headquarters, and we'll sort everything out from there."

The group began the labour of pulling their carts up the stairs, familiar with each and every one of the steps having spent the years since beginning their lives in the castle hauling them up and down, complete with materials. Rinoa sent him a squinting look as he passed her, but he looked the other way, refusing to meet her eyes.

As they reached the head of the steps, a low, musical whistling started up from below, the blond down in the Bailey supplying his own entertainment as the soldiers were faced with checking an entire briefcase of documents for the right ones to register the war-orphans and their authorities. A smirk grew on Axel's lips, as he wondered how Scarlet would react to creating more work for her own people than for theirs.

Then again, knowing Scarlet, he supposed she wouldn't give a shit either way.

Luxord clapped his shoulder again at the top, a more companionable gesture this time, releasing a sigh as they all finally emerged into daylight, muttering and complaining under their breaths at the cold. "Alright, people. Onwards. You can abandon the carts soon enough. We'll get our tools and a hot drink from the Committee, then head out to the site." There were weak murmurs of approval, the group gaining purpose and heading after Leon, Rinoa walking beside him. Luxord's hand squeezed the redhead, holding him back a little as he leaned down to add quietly, seriously, "And once we're there, we'll decide what to do about _you."_

Somehow, the way he said it didn't fill Axel with hope.

Stomach twisting as Luxord finally released him, he didn't dare to look up at the man, instead hurrying after Paine and Rikku, the blonde twisting as he approached and greeting him brightly. As the sound of their muddied wheels bumped and rumbled over the rough cobblestones, he sighed and lifted his eyes to the chaotic sky, wondering if, after all this, he was going to be forced to stay in the Committee HQ while the others went to the dumpsite. God. The thought alone was sickening. He didn't think he'd be able to handle the disappointment.

It wasn't a long trip through the rebuilt section of the city to the Restoration Committee's base of operations, which, for all the grandiosity of its name, was really just a house they'd fixed up, whose former occupants had died during the war. Leon entered first, holding open the old, heavy door for everyone else as they all parked their carts up alongside the building and trooped through into the warm interior. Luxord, bringing up the rear, flashed the teenaged brunet a grateful look as he entered the house. "Wherever you found that man – _thank you." _

Leon's mouth twitched up into a slight smile. "He's the engineer I was telling you about the other night. He's part of the Committee now."

Luxord hesitated, swinging the door shut by its heavy, metal ring. "…And he's – an ex-Zanarkand Captain?"

"Apparently," the youth replied with a shrug. "I never really knew for sure before today, though."

Arching an eyebrow, Rinoa, listening in on the conversation a couple paces away, folded her arms and asked uncertainly, "And you _trust _him?"

Leon lifted his shoulders again. "He's good at what he does. We need him. If he screws us over, we'll hog-tie him and throw him into a ravine. Yuffie told him as much when he first told us his history, and he agreed to hold his wrists and ankles together if the day ever came."

Yuffie shifted to join them, having hung her coat on a hook with all the others – a veritable army of them now dangled from the many catches, in varying shades of brown and cream, as the castle's teens made themselves at home in the rarely-seen Committee base – and contributed bleakly, "Don't you worry, Lux. We made damn sure he knows where he stands in things. The only damn reason we accepted him was because DiZ gave him the stamp of approval."

Luxord's interest was piqued at this. "Ah! Then that must be the ex-aviator he mentioned in passing that had moved to the area – in which case, I agree: if DiZ doesn't harbour any suspicions of him, then he must be relatively honour-bound." He smirked a little. "Besides which, he certainly proved himself a worthy ally down in the Bailey with the soldiers."

"Creeps," Yuffie imparted dourly. She shook a finger warningly. "I don't care _how _sincere that old fart seems on the surface, I am keeping my _eye _on him. A _ninja _eye."

"In other words," Leon said dryly, "he passes the Yuffie test."

"If he didn't," she added merrily, "he'd be dead already!" Hands going to her hips, she then demanded, "So, what's the deal with that Axel kid tagging along?" She threw her arms up in exasperation. "I've been calling him 'Demyx' all morning! I feel like an idiot now!"

Luxord and Rinoa grimaced in unison, the group turning to look over at where the redhead was currently kneeling in front of the blazing fireplace, adjusting the logs with a long, black poker, small gasps of spark-laden smoke drifting out from their tightly-packed depths. "We didn't know he was here," Rinoa confessed, hands dropping to her sides. _"We _were calling him Demyx."

"Ahh," the girl murmured sagely. "So, what, he's a stowaway?"

"One must ask the more pertinent question, though," Luxord remarked with a raised brow, "of where Demyx _is _now."

"Dead and chucked into a lesser-known courtyard," Yuffie promptly guessed. "God knows that monster of a castle has enough of them."

"…_Or," _the man suggested, a pained expression in place, "perhaps sitting in his room back at the castle, trying to stay out of sight for as long as _possible." _He nodded and winked, patting Yuffie's back. "I'd say that's the more _likely _of the two."

She shrugged him off, saying airily, "Believe what you want – all I know is that's how _I'd _do it."

The other three stared for a moment. Then Rinoa and Luxord turned to one another blankly, the man saying, "I think I'll go and speak to Axel now."

Yuffie clapped her hands, calling over the chatter that had built, "Okay, I want volunteers in the kitchen helping to make those drinks, people, we're not your butlers!"

"I don't know," Rikku sang back, "we _do _live in a castle and all…" Nevertheless, the orphans began rising from their positions and heading over to where Yuffie was indicating.

Axel, glancing over his shoulder, detected his time of reckoning. He wasn't going to be part of the group making drinks – he was going to be getting chewed out. He turned back to the flames, expression set gloomily as he continued to prod at the burning wood. Luxord's boots could be heard across the stone floor, softening as they passed onto the tattered rug that was set up a safe distance from the fireplace. Shoulders hunching, Axel waited as he stopped behind him.

Luxord waited for several moments, then, getting no immediate acknowledgement from the redhead, wearily said, "Axel. Leave the fire for now. We need to talk."

Axel snorted, carefully digging at the coals. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"No, but I can break your bloody neck," the man muttered, leaning down. "Come on, enough of this. We need to have a discussion."

With a sigh, Axel lifted his eyes, gently laying the poker down with a metallic sound against the hearth, and twisted, drawing his knees up. He sent the man a deliberately patient look. "Okay, what do you want me to say?"

Luxord narrowed his eyes, bobbing down to his level, hands on knees for balance. "You can start by telling me where Demyx is, and why you're here in his place."

Axel flicked his eyes down to the side, exhaling slowly. Part of him wanted to play dumb, string this out as a way of protecting himself from whatever punishment was in store… but he knew that if he tried, it would only get worse. Instead, opting for the method he was hoping would earn him the most good-behavioural points, he admitted, not looking up, "I was going to tell you. I really, really was. I was waiting until we got into the city, but then… well…"

"Yes, I know." Luxord nodded shortly. "But please, answer my questions first. I don't want to hear excuses, I want _explanation."_

The redhead swallowed, feeling the heat of the fire against his back. "I… Demyx came to find me early this morning." His gaze darted up briefly. "Like, _early. _He was planning to give me his position in the expedition from the second he found out he was going. It's why he wore the hat. He was… doing something nice for me." The slightest amount of boldness entering he tone, he lifted his chin, adding, "He knew how much it meant to me, and so _he _gave me the opportunity that you guys _wouldn't." _Starting to glare, he met Luxord's tired eyes defiantly. "You have no idea how badly I wanted to be part of this, and just because of something I did trying to keep that Zanarkand guy away, I get totally banned from it? I _deserve _to be here – I'm good at what I do, and I should be here for the sake of the _expedition. _You guys keeping me away, it's just, it's _petty." _Voice rising with sudden conviction, he continued, "Everyone was thrown by Zanarkand coming – can you blame me for wanting to do something to discredit them? I was only acting for the _castle. _We all got in on it to protect _DiZ, _because we _knew _it was just a bullshit scam."

Luxord dropped his head, lifting a hand to pause the boy, letting out a heavy exhalation. "Alright, enough." As Axel went to say more, he snapped, quietly but firmly, eyes coming up sharply, _"Enough, _I said."The boy lapsed into resentful silence, burying his chin into his knees, sulking green eyes cutting sideways to the fire. Folding his fingers into his palm and pressing his knuckles briefly into his lips, Luxord studied the redhead for several long moments. He shook his head briefly. "You've drawn a wrong conclusion, Axel." The boy's eyes narrowed, but he didn't look up. "Do you want to know why you weren't elected for the trip? And why Demyx, mistakenly, it would seem, was chosen instead of you?" Luxord lowered a hand to the hearth, steadying himself, dipping his head to eye level. _"…Stability." _He waited for a moment, seeing if Axel understood. "Stability, Axel. You _lack it." _

The redhead blinked, glanced up swiftly, a frown in place. Luxord sat completely, with the sort of breathy groan usually reserved for old bones, and propped his elbows on his knees, fingers scraping through his short hair. "Whether you admit to it or not, you are emotionally unbalanced." He lifted his hands at the offense on Axel's face. "Please, understand that when I say that, it is _not _a criticism. I am not passing judgement. It's only natural, Axel, that after the childhood you have experienced since the war, you have scars. You are _allowed _to have scars." He became grim. "But decisions are made for a reason, and – and you might not believe this, but I don't actually care – you were kept out of this expedition for your _own good. _To _protect you." _He reached out and gently tapped the boy's forehead, Axel flinching away with a scowl. "To protect what's up there – that instability." Luxord then sighed slowly, uncertainty entering his expression. "And yet, here you are, and we could do with your scavenging abilities. You were, to be honest, first on the list in terms of strengths –" Axel's head came up at this, surprise and suspicion registering on his features. "– you are gritty, adaptable, and determined – but it was decided best for you to leave you behind." He grimaced, muttering, "So much for _that." _

Flaring, Axel argued, "Why are so many people thinking they know what's best for me lately? _I _know what's best for me! _This _is what's best for me, _not_ getting left behind!"

The blond man regarded him levelly for a long moment. "…As long as you remain within DiZ's guardianship," he answered calmly, "you will abide by what _he _believes is best for you."

Snorting, the redhead retorted, "DiZ doesn't operate on what's best for a _person. _He focuses on the whole – otherwise, we wouldn't even be in this mess to begin with."

Luxord held his gaze steadily. "…One way or another, a decision was made with your best interests at heart. Whether or not that aligns with your _desires _doesn't enter into things. You were left out with good reason."

Glaring into the fire, tightening his grip around his knees, the boy mumbled, "So, what happens now then? You think it was all 'for my own good', but I'm here anyway. You need me, right?" He looked up carefully, meeting Luxord's wary eyes. A slight pause developed, into which the teen repeated, "You _need _me. Like you said, I'm – I have all these strengths, and… I can help. This is our only shot before winter. We have to get what we can out of the ruins, or it'll be too _late."_

Luxord met his gaze, saw the insecurity pooled in his eyes, the need behind it that the redhead always thought he was hiding, never successfully enough to keep those around him from understanding just how torn his insides were. "…I'll talk to Rinoa about it. We'll discuss what the best option from here is, and let you know."

"You'll let me _know?" _Axel had to fight to keep the snarl out of his voice. "I'm not 'unstable', Luxord, but this whole leaving me hanging thing is threatening to _make _me. Just –" He closed his eyes briefly. "Can you – just give me an _idea _of an answer? Are you thinking more towards 'yes' or 'no'? You can tell me _that _much."

Luxord rested his face on a fist, scrutinising the boy. His fingertips dragged briefly over the unshaven surface of his cheeks, the rough sound audible over the pop and crack of the fire. He clicked his tongue, squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "I wasn't made to be a parent," he mumbled, mostly to himself. "Yes. I'm leaning towards 'yes'. But if Rinoa puts up a good argument, I'll allow myself to be swayed."

Axel heart was beating faster. Breathlessly, he nodded, chest already tightening with struggling hope. "Just – just make sure it's a _really _good argument, okay? If she says, like, 'he can't, or he'll think he's got away with it', just – _come up with something good. _Okay?" The desperation had thickened his throat, his words holding an edge now that success was so close. Leaning forward, seeing Luxord's resurfacing uncertainty, he said in low tones, "You can do whatever the hell to me you want when we get back. DiZ can tie me from my ankles from the ceiling, he can hand me to Vexen for a solid month of lab cleaning, _anything – _just _please, _please don't let me miss out on this."

Luxord stared, brows furrowing slowly, but after a moment, he nodded. "I'll – see to it."

Axel heisted, then smiled brilliantly. It wasn't a complete definite, but it was a damn sight closer than it had been. He had _not _come all this way only to be apprehended in the Committee's house for the entire day peeling potatoes or whatever. _No. _Luxord would talk to Rinoa, and even if she bitched about it, she didn't have the authority to override the man's final word. The worst she could do was complain to DiZ when they got back up the mountain, and Axel didn't think she'd take it as far as that, even if she protested a _lot. _She'd understand, even if she didn't want to.

As the warm scent of coffee and cocoa filled the house, the clinking of so many spoons being stirred in so many mugs in the nearby kitchen, Luxord pushed up to his feet, leaving Axel where he was by the fire. The boy stared into the flames, finally feeling the chill that had dogged him from one end of the journey to the other begin to subside… and it wasn't, he didn't think, just because the outside air was no longer attacking.

Somewhere close, within walking distance, were the bombed ruins of the town hall. In their depths, rotten, frozen, thawed, dried, frozen again, thawed again, desiccated… there lay the remnants of his life. Part of it, at least.

And today, after six long years, he would be visiting them. His mom and dad… he was going to see their bones.

No matter _what _argument Rinoa made, he would find a way. He was too near to them not to.


End file.
